


So Give Me Air and I'll Become Your Wing

by dyeingdoll, MidnightCrow



Series: I'll Become Your Wing [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Archaeologist Yuuri, Archaeology, M/M, Minor Injuries, Winged VIktor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 17:05:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14898536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyeingdoll/pseuds/dyeingdoll, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightCrow/pseuds/MidnightCrow
Summary: Yuuri Katsuki is your dime-a-dozen archaeologist, newly graduated and setting off on his first big expedition. Viktor is an Anzu, a winged being of legend, who feels trapped in the rules of his species. While exploring a temple in the ruins of an Anzu city, and an incident involving vines, Yuuri is left to care for an injured Viktor while he heals.Created for the Viktuuri Reverse Bang 2018.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was created as part of the Viktuuri Reverse Bang! I had the honor of being teamed up with [dyeingdoll](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/) who created the amazing art you'll see in later chapters!  
> Also a huge thanks to [Shadhahvar](https://shadhahvar.tumblr.com/) for being an awesome beta!  
> -MidnightCrow

One week into the expedition and Yuuri was starting to get sick of the jungle. He was sick of how the humidity made him feel as though the air was actually weighing him down in addition to the gear he already wore. The bugs didn’t help much, clouds of mosquitoes that targeted any bit of exposed skin, centipedes as large as his hand, spiders whose webs he walked into. He’d been recording the species of whatever creature their small team encountered in a notebook and the descriptions of things that were creepy and crawly usually involved expletives. Besides the map from the previous expedition there were no signs that they were in the right place and even Phichit was losing interest in photographing the animals and plants he stumbled across or, more often than not, into.

The trees here had grown so close together that there was no other option besides hiking if they wanted to find the city ruins. Even the smallest airship wouldn’t be able to navigate the narrow spaces between trunks and they’d been forced to leave their horses with a farm while they continued on foot. The sky was hidden behind a dense layer of branches and leaves, small rays of sunlight breaking through to illuminate the way forward, and vines as thick as Yuuri’s arms hung from the canopy like snakes or wound themselves around anything and everything. Most of the jungle floor was covered in tall grasses, ferns, small shrubs, or flowers and all of these things managed to hide the roots that jutted out from the ground and threatened to trip anyone who wasn’t paying attention to their surroundings. All together the place would make for some very nice pictures, but actually trying to locate anything in this maze of flora and fauna was a whole different story. 

For the most part any animals stayed far away from the small group of explorers, the noise they made scaring off all but what seemed to be the most dangerous creatures. However, it was thanks to Phichit that nothing attacked them. His presence seemed to calm whatever tried to approach them and when that didn’t work he had his inventions. When the two of them had first met in a history class about the Calamity and were forced to work together for a group project his seemingly limitless energy and enthusiasm had unnerved Yuuri, but by the time they’d finished they had already become friends. 

Phichit was a cheerful man with tanned skin, black hair cut short, and mischievous gray eyes. He was an inventor, fascinated with how machines worked and dedicated to further the research on how to use magic as an energy source. Meanwhile quiet Yuuri prefered books to people, had dual-majored in both linguistics and cryptozoology. His interests lay in the magical creatures that had revealed themselves after the Calamity had struck and the languages they’d used in addition to those of ancient humans.

Fresh out of the Royal University of Archeology the two men had been surprised to be offered positions on an expedition to the ruins of a city there belonging to winged beings. A different group had attempted to locate it but illness had forced them to retreat before they got very far. Celestino, a man with a wide face and a large chin who kept his long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, was a professor at the University as well as the archaeologist in charge of their expedition but he treated Yuuri and Phichit like equals rather than students.

“Everyone sees the world differently, we’ve all experienced and learned about various topics and it's changed how we view things. What might be an ordinary rock to one person could be a geode waiting to be cracked open.” Celestino had grinned at his former students when they’d brought up the subject. 

In all of the history textbooks there was a clear divide between what took place before the Calamity and the events that followed such a colossal incident where the aftershocks created earthquakes and hurricanes that ravaged the land and caused the oceans to rise. When the chaos came to a stop the world had been transformed, some cities had been destroyed while others sank beneath the water with their inhabitants, never to be seen again. Millions of people died, either in the initial blast or the natural disasters that had followed, and those left alive were forced to scavenge for anything that might have survived such destruction.

Once humanity had recovered to the point where simply existing was no longer a struggle they began to rebuild from the ashes of the civilizations that had come before them, towns forming and leaders being established as people worked to take back what had been lost. The Royal University of Archeology was built in what had once been part of Europe, but after so much of Europe, Asia, and Africa disappeared beneath the rising ocean the continental borders didn’t matter anymore, not when new maps needed to be made to reflect the changes anyway. Archeology was now one of the most needed jobs there were, the obsession with reclaiming whatever knowledge of before the Calamity driving researchers to recruit more and more people to the University. Their other obsession was with the magical creatures who had been forced out of hiding by the destruction of their homes, beings that had only existed as legends in books and stories told around campfires late at night. These creatures relocated to places undisturbed by human hands, leaving the towns where they had onced lived to be explored by the very people they were desperate to avoid. 

The sun had started to set by the time their small team crested the top of a hill and found themselves unable to go any farther. They’d made it to a small ridge overlooking the jungle floor far below them but the rest of the mountain rose up at a sharp angle. Somewhere above them a pair of waterfalls flowed, the cool mist refreshing after so much climbing, and the ground was relatively clear of shrubbery or rocks so they decided to set up camp for the night. While a tent would have come in handy considering the wildlife they’d run into already, it would have been too heavy to lug around each day. Phichit had brought an automaton that carried some of their gear but the rest went into backpacks that only seemed to get heavier with each passing day. Instead of a tent the three men slept in sleeping bags with bug nets over the opening, although every morning Yuuri woke to find another mosquito bite on him that hadn’t been there the night before.

Celestino was always the first to fall asleep, no doubt exhausted from so much climbing, but Phichit and Yuuri always took more time and they often kept each other awake longer than was necessary by talking. Whether it was about missing their pets or what they thought the ruins would be like they would only stop when one of them could no longer respond, having dozed off in mid-conversation, but tonight seemed different.

“Do you think it was a mistake bringing me on this expedition?” Yuuri couldn’t make out individual stars with his glasses off, but he tried to find the constellations he knew were out there just so he didn’t have to stare at his friend. “There were better choices for something as important as this.”

Phichit blew a raspberry with his tongue, the small thbbbt loud without any other noise to fill the silence surrounding them. “Yuuri, you have got to stop listening to your depression when it says things like that. You’re one of the smartest people I know, and Celestino wouldn’t have picked you to come with him if he didn’t think you could do this; you have a double major and both of the things you majored in are needed for this expedition. If anything I’d say someone like me shouldn’t have come.”

“Except then if the automaton broke we would have no idea how to fix it,” Yuuri sighed before shutting his eyes and snuggling deeper into his sleeping bag. “What do you think things used to be like? You know, before the Calamity?”

“Well, it’s hard to say because we don’t know just how much knowledge was lost when it hit. I heard the pre-Calamity humans could go to the stars, turn coal into diamonds, and even fly, but because of all the destruction who knows what’s true and what’s just a rumor? We both took the same history class, we’ve seen the maps of how the world used to look, but because a lot of what used to be land is now underwater we just don’t have the technology to get to those ruins,” There was silence for a few seconds. “I want to see it though, I want to see the world and learn about what life had been like for people back then.”

“We still know so little, I wonder if we’ll ever learn just what happened during the Calamity or if it will still be a mystery years from now.” 

Phichit turned onto his side, propping his head up with one fist as he stared at his best friend. “Do you remember that time you thought about dropping out of school? You somehow managed to convince yourself that it had been a mistake to even apply and I spent a day persuading you to come out of your room and talk to me?”

“You bribed me with food.” Yuuri placed his arms behind his head and sighed at the sky above.

“It worked, but that’s not the point. Do you remember what I said to you back then? About how I wasn’t sure I picked the right path either?”

“Yeah, it was something about ‘you can never know what the correct choice will be, but if you spend all your time trying to figure out what to do it will no longer be up to you.’” 

“Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone, we’ve just got to be brave enough to take the risk that all our hard work will pay off. Celestino believes you’re capable of handling whatever this expedition throws at us. He decided to pick two newly-graduated archaeologists to accompany him and I don’t want to make him think he made the wrong decision. I’m not going to lie to you, I’m nervous too, but let’s agree to do our best together,” Phichit yawned and rolled onto his back once more. “If we stay up any later I think I’ll fall asleep hiking, try to get some sleep okay?”

As much as he wanted to just close his eyes and fall into a dreamless sleep, he found it impossible. Despite how exhausted he was, parts of Yuuri aching that he didn’t know could get sore, his brain refused to rest. It felt like the world itself was holding its breath. _Something big is about to happen_ , he thought to himself, staring into the blurry sky above as he tried to calm his racing thoughts. His anxiety had started to snowball into near panic but he didn’t know why or what had caused the feeling in his gut, that sixth sense that told him that his life would soon change forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from [Never](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-CmoMR5oqU) by Melnitsa, [Lyrics translation](https://lyricstranslate.com/en/nikogda-%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B4%D0%B0-never.html-1)


	2. Chapter 2

Thousands of years had passed since the volcano had been active, the last recorded eruption had taken place before the Calamity hit and by some miracle it had stayed dormant. The top of the volcano had formed a crater of cooled lava and over time life had crept into a once uninhabitable place, trees taking root and animals making their home in the valley. The land still held power, the molten rock was no longer there but energy still flowed under the earth’s surface like a river and acted as a wellspring of magic to the beings who sought it out. 

It was said that before the Calamity humans didn’t know magic existed, that the creatures who harnessed such power had hidden themselves away from the power-hungry beings that thrived on chaos. When most of the Earth had recovered from both the initial blast and the natural disasters that followed, both humans and magical creatures were more focused on rebuilding than on each other. Some creatures tried to help the weak humans, hoping that their two species’ could coexist in this changed world, while others fled to the places yet undiscovered by mortals, places where magic flowed freely and they could live in peace.

The secret valley was only accessible to those who were able to climb the steep sides of the mountain or creatures with wings. The volcano, with its thriving ecology and wellspring of magical power was the perfect location for the Anzu to live, and they’d resided there for centuries. A grand temple had been constructed in the center of the crater, carved from a raised area of rock formed when the lava cooled, and within those pillars of dark stone the inhabitants could offer up prayers to their ancestor. A plaza surrounded the temple and spiraling outward were small huts made from earth, wood, and stone where families resided until the fledglings were old enough to provide for themselves. The Anzu took pride in tradition, performing the same rituals year after year, and keeping to their valley. Unless necessity forced them to search the mountain for something they preferred to stay where they were. It was seen as selfish to venture outside the village without an actual reason.

 _We’re told that the world is a big place, but my world is very small._ Viktor found himself staring at the walls of the crater more and more as he grew older, the routine he’d been forced into blurring his days together until he felt he was suffocating and needed to run away just in order to break out of the horrible dance he knew by heart. He loved to dance, he was one of the best sky dancers there was and he’d been called upon to lead more and more of the rituals in recent years, but being confined to a specific set of steps was becoming unbearable and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to go along with the elder’s wishes. He longed to fly away from the village, so far away he could no longer see the volcano or the jungle which surrounded it, but where would he go?

There were days that he felt trapped, as though he’d lost his wings and could no longer escape the life forced upon him, and on those days he fled to the one place he felt at peace. When the Calamity had forced the Anzu to leave their former village behind the temple had been one of the few buildings left standing. Maybe it was thanks to their ancestor that it was untouched but Viktor loved the place even more than his own home. The building had been carved into the side of the volcano, the dark stone columns out front and the walls carved with stories along with a few notes made by reckless individuals. “JJ loves Isabella” read a hastily scratched message tucked into an alcove, and he knew exactly who had put it there. 

The sound of the waterfalls that surrounded the temple on both sides soothed him most days, the gentle water flowing over his feet from his spot at the edge of a river, but today he wasn’t able to relax with the events of a few hours ago running through his head. The elders had wanted to talk to him after practice about the solstice celebration, the usual requests for him to lead the dances that he’d come to expect, but somehow the conversation had shifted to the topic of mating. Viktor didn’t want to discuss getting a mate, no matter how many times the villagers brought it up. It didn’t matter that he was “no longer a fledgling,” the fact was he didn’t want to mate with someone he didn’t love and that was that. 

His feet had gone numb by the time he heard footsteps behind him (well not footsteps, it was impossible to make footsteps when you didn’t have feet) and the Anzu turned to see Chris in his usual state of undress. While most satyrs found it more comfortable to not wear pants on their goat legs they still covered their top halves for warmth or protection from the blistering sun and biting insects but the blond felt it unnecessary and therefore walked around without a stitch of clothing on all the time. They’d met several years back on one of Viktor’s trips to the temple, and while he was surprised to find someone else in his hiding spot it was wonderful to have someone he could talk to without fear of judgement.

“What did the elders say now?” It was as though Chris could tell what was bothering him with a single glance, and the satyr took a seat on the grass next to him.

“The usual, I’m too old to be unmated and after the Calamity it’s important to... you know, they want our numbers to be what they were before everything happened.” With a grimace Viktor hunched forward, shrinking in on himself and unintentionally causing a wing to nearly hit his friend in the face.

Rather than make a snide comment about almost getting a mouth full of feathers Chris simply shifted over a few inches and changed the topic. “Well, it’s lucky that I ran into you because I have some interesting news,” green eyes narrowed. “There are humans nearby. Be careful, they seem to be headed towards the city ruins and they may even find this place.”

Viktor felt his heart sink to somewhere around his stomach, humans had come here? Humans were the reason his kind had gone into hiding, why he wasn’t supposed to leave the village in the first place, the reason he felt so trapped. “What? Why come here?”

“Why do humans do anything? I’m serious though, I don’t want anything happening to you.”

“I’ll be careful Chris, but honestly what could happen?”


	3. Chapter 3

After almost three weeks of stumbling through the jungle and being attacked by insects the small team had finally, finally found the city ruins and Yuuri was so happy he wanted to cry. Whatever creatures had once lived here had chosen one of the lower mountain peaks to live on, so high up that clouds drifted below him as white spots on a canvas of green, a pond at one end that was fed by waterfalls somewhere above them. Houses built of stone sat next to each other in various states of dilapidation, some had several walls destroyed while others were no more than a pile of rocks; very few had been left standing, their roofs long since rotted and their contents long gone. In the centuries since the Calamity all sorts of plants had taken the place of the creatures, tree trunks pushing through the debris and vines covering walls. Time, nature, and of course the natural disasters that had forced the original inhabitants to flee in the first place, had all turned what must have been such a beautiful place into a graveyard.

 _Not a graveyard._ Yuuri shook his head and tried to get the depressing thought off his mind. This city might have been destroyed but it was still a gold mine of history. Who had once lived here? What kind of creatures had they been? What had their lives been like before the Calamity? He couldn’t wait to find out, to explore this treasure trove of knowledge himself before any other expeditions came along and interfered with their research; it was impossible to know whether or not people from the other countries had been looking for this place as well. 

“While I know we just got here I’m afraid we’ll have to leave exploring for tomorrow, the sun’s starting to set and I don’t want anyone wandering around in the dark.” Phichit had just taken out his camera and snapped a few pictures before Celestino made towards one of the houses that had been left standing. “Let’s make camp for tonight, I doubt the ruins will go anywhere while we sleep.”

While a large part of Yuuri was disappointed that they wouldn’t have a chance to look around yet an even larger part of him was exhausted from hiking. The path had been especially steep and he’d almost slipped several times. They laid out their sleeping bags inside the house, and after a small dinner of dried meat and fruit nobody complained about getting some rest before they spent the entire next day investigating the ruins.

It had been a good idea in theory, but while Phichit and Celestino fell asleep without much difficulty Yuuri lay awake and stared once more at the sky as though it would have answers to the questions plaguing him. Now that they’d reached their destination after so much walking and climbing and worrying they were in the wrong spot, he was wondering just who had once slept in this house before him, and if they knew he was there.

There! A silhouette far too large to be any nocturnal bird appeared high above him, swooping down to perch on one of the nearby houses before just sitting there as though it were watching him. Without his glasses on it was impossible for Yuuri to tell just what it might be, but it definitely wasn’t human. With an almost-audible flap of mighty wings the creature took off again, flying toward the nearby slope of the next mountain and without realizing it he was out of his sleeping bag, shoes and glasses on and a small lantern clutched in one hand as he stumbled back into the city.

With only the light of the tiny lantern and the glow of the moon above him the ruins looked menacing, jagged stone rising out of the ground and huge trees making things even darker than they already were. Yuuri made his way slowly towards the other side of the city, most of his attention focused on where he was stepping so he didn’t trip over a loose rock or oversized root, though he kept looking skyward to see if the creature had returned. His heart was pounding in his chest, so loud in his ears it was a shock that it didn’t echo off the buildings, his breaths coming in sharp gasps from fear and adrenaline.

The mountain jutted up sharply at the edge of the ruins, too steep for him to attempt climbing it without any light to see by, but two dozen meters up he could make out a cliff, twin waterfalls spilling over into the pond he’d seen earlier. In the rippling surface Yuuri saw the full moon shining back at him, along with his own wavering reflection and—  
In a flash of white, the creature glided into the cliff above him, and for a split second he thought he could make out a slim figure with huge wings silhouetted against the moon before it vanished. _Tomorrow. I’ll come back tomorrow and find a way up there._ He would ignore the urge to hide from whatever it was he’d seen no matter how tempting it seemed. Curiosity won over fear this time.

After carefully making his way back to the dilapidated building Celestino and Phichit were still blissfully unaware that he’d left, Yuuri stripped off his shoes and climbed back into his sleeping bag, too tired to overthink anything. He closed his eyes and somehow managed to fall asleep, the anxiety-filled dreams that had been plaguing him since the expedition was announced leaving him alone for once.

The first thing Yuuri noticed when he awoke the next morning, or possibly later that morning since he hadn’t known exactly what time it had been when he’d stumbled back into camp, was that every muscle hurt. He thought that after weeks of hiking uphill and over uneven ground he’d have finally gotten used to the constant activity and might not spend every waking moment in pain but he was evidently wrong. Shoulders, calves, back, thighs, everything ached and all he wanted was a hot bath to ease the soreness filling his entire body. He’d hoped that once they reached the ruins he wouldn’t have to climb anymore but he was once again wrong. 

Celestino and Phichit were already awake and making breakfast over a small fire. In the jungle they hadn’t risked such a thing because causing a forest fire was the last thing they wanted to do, but he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed warm food. Coffee. They’d made a pot of coffee and Yuuri wanted to cry from happiness, even though he had to drink it black and it tasted burnt it was still caffeine. He drank three cups before they’d finished their meal, grimacing slightly from the bitter taste, and felt somewhat more awake than he’d been in days.

“I’m going to let you boys do your own exploring, we’ll gather more information if we split up,” Celestino took a sip of his own coffee without changing his expression. “My only rule is you have to be back before the sun sets, I don’t want either of you wandering around after dark.” Yuuri felt a pang of guilt, he’d broken the rule before it had even been made.

Acting as though he was trying to understand the layout of the ruined city before investigating anything in depth Yuuri made his way towards the mountain once more, towards where the creature had gone. As he walked his footprints from last night stood out on the unmarred dirt and he swept a boot through each, attempting to erase them before anyone else noticed they were there. The cliff looked just as impossible to scale in the daytime, so steep he’d fall if he even attempted it. Would he have to use his climbing gear after all?

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a cluster of vines that had somehow managed to take root in the dark rock, their thick green coils covered in a layer of what looked like hair. They ran all the way up to a small overhang in the mountain, less than five meters below the actual cliff he needed to get to; if Yuuri wanted to get up there he had no other option than to climb and hope that the plants would support him. If he fell there would be nothing to catch him, and while a short drop wouldn’t cause much more than a broken limb, any higher and he would certainly die. Besides, out here there would be no doctors that could treat a serious injury like a broken bone; he wouldn’t be able to make it to the rendezvous point if he couldn’t walk.

One hand over the other he climbed, feet seeking gaps in the vines that would support his weight, arms straining to pull himself up another meter as the sun neared its highest point. Sweat ran down his back having already soaked through his thin shirt, his palms slipping every so often despite the gloves protecting him from anything the plants might be hiding. He’d seen enough fauna in the jungle to treat every green leafy thing like it intended to harm him.

Finally he made it to the ledge and sank down heavily onto it, legs dangling over the side as he resisted the urge to look down at how far the ground was below him; he failed and had to swallow back the bile that rose at the sight. He couldn’t make out individual trees from one another, their colors blurring together and forming a green blob that blocked half the ruins from view. The collapsed houses were no larger than the toys children played house in, their dark shapes stark against the tan earth and vibrant plant life surrounding them. Yuuri wasn’t able to spot Celestino or Phichit from where he was, either because they were hidden from sight or because they were just too small for him to make out from so high up.

The bluff was so close now, but there were no more vines to get him up the last few meters and Yuuri was forced to dig out his climbing spikes from his bag and drive them into the rock wall behind him. If he fell here he’d just fall onto the ledge, it would hurt like hell but it wouldn’t be a straight plunge to the ruins far below him, or so he hoped. The metal tip sank firmly into the cliff side and he drove a second one into the wall slightly above the first, using the two spikes to drag himself up even higher until he was hoisting himself onto the ledge he’d seen the night before.

Yuuri’s breaths came in painful rasps, chest heaving as he just lay on the ground and attempted to stop his hands from shaking. His muscles were already sore from the weeks of hiking in the jungle and now every movement sent a jolt of pain through his body, he briefly wondered how he’d get down or if he’d be stuck up here forever. The only sounds were that of his own labored breathing and the rushing waterfalls, no flapping of wings or voices demanding to know who he was and what he was doing here. He glanced behind him, not even bothering to lift his head, and gasped at the sight.

A temple carved out of the same black rock as the mountain itself sat atop the cliff between the two waterfalls. It was far enough from the ledge that from below it was hidden from sight. If he hadn’t seen the creature from last night fly up here he might have never found this place. Two columns sat on either side of the entrance, and as Yuuri approached them he noticed the stone had been carved with symbols he only recognized thanks to his degree in linguistics. He’d known only a few languages were used in this part of the world and this one in particular belonged to a species that called themselves Anzu, the sharp, angular markings representing different words. Placing his heavy backpack on the ground he dug out his dictionary and a notebook so he could translate whatever had been written there.

The sun had barely touched the horizon when Yuuri stopped writing. He’d finished with the columns apart from a few sections where the stone had been chipped and the symbols made illegible. From what he’d translated he was able to put together a story about the first Anzu, a legendary creature with the head of a lion on the body of a huge eagle that was said to control wind and thunderstorms. 

According to whoever had carved this temple Anzu had stolen a book from the gods that had the destinies of every living being written in it, wanting to control his own fate. Archers had tried to shoot him down and succeeded in injuring him enough that he dropped the book, but while the rest of the world believed he’d died, instead the creature had hidden away from those that had harmed him. Eons passed before Anzu decided it was time to die, but not before passing on his power to beings who would put it to good use, and thus his descendents worshipped him not as a thief, but a creature bold enough to challenge his destiny and emerge triumphant.

It made for a very interesting read and Yuuri longed to stay here overnight, but he knew that if he didn’t return to camp before the sun set Celestino would insist on finding out what had caused him to be so late. He didn’t want to share the temple with anyone just yet, not even Phichit; it felt like the land itself were asking him to keep this place a secret from those who might desecrate it. 

A cave rested next to the building, the path inside leading downwards, so he took his lantern out of his bag and began making his way through the darkness. It was huge, the ceiling more than a meter over his head and wide enough for someone three times his size, each strange noise making him jump in the limited visibility. Yuuri just had to hope that this passage actually led where he needed to go and not to the other side of the mountain or some other place far from the city. After what felt like forever he emerged, blinking, into the light of the setting sun a short ways outside of the ruins, the cave entrance partially blocked from sight by a large bush. At least he wouldn’t have to climb up to the temple tomorrow.

“Yuuri! Where have you been? I was starting to worry.” Phichit’s tanned face was cast into shadow thanks to the setting sun, his brows raised so high they disappeared under his bangs.

“I was on the other side of town, I lost track of time translating some writing I found.” Yuuri grinned sheepishly as his stomach flipped on itself. He hated lying to his friend but he wanted to keep the temple a secret until he had a good look at everything.

“The ruins are bigger than I expected them to be, take care not to get lost alright?” Celestino sat before the fire where several fish were roasting on sticks and another pot of water had started to boil. The smell of cooking meat made Yuuri’s stomach rumble. He hadn’t eaten since that morning, too absorbed in his work to notice how hungry he was. “Why don’t we discuss what we found over dinner?”

With their stomachs full of fish and wild vegetables the three men felt much better, each of them talking about whatever they’d come across as they sipped mugs of hot tea. Celestino had stayed near camp, exploring the wrecked buildings for anything that might have survived the years since the Calamity had passed. Phichit had wandered a bit farther out, not far enough to notice that Yuuri hadn’t been in town at all, but he’d stumbled upon the remains of a bathhouse and his automaton had been able to move some of the debris so he could get to more of it. As the only one who hadn’t stayed in the ruins it was hard to come up with a suitable lie so he didn’t have to discuss the temple but he remembered one of the collapsed houses he’d seen walking back had been carved with the same symbols he’d seen on the columns. The others were interested in the story of the Anzu, especially since it gave them a better idea of what creatures had lived here.

“Anzu huh?” Celestino rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “That explains why the doorways are so large, the ones still intact that is; it’d be hard to fit wings through the doors at the university.”

“I found a few feathers in the bathhouse, really big ones but I just assumed they were from, y’know, actual birds.” Phichit drummed his fingers on the side of his metal cup, full of nervous energy despite how exhausted he must be from exploring.

Yuuri hadn’t realized just how drained he was until he felt his eyes closing of their own accord, snippets of conversation going unheard as he snapped upright once more and yawned. “I think I’m gonna turn in, it’s been a long day and I don’t see tomorrow being any less tiring.”

“I think that’s probably a good idea, the last thing we want is for anyone to get sick from exhaustion. You did well for your first day, I’m proud of you.”

The cave made it much easier to return to the temple the following day, especially since every muscle in Yuuri’s body was screaming in pain despite the medicine he’d gulped down during breakfast. The time he’d spent scaling the cliff must have been much longer than he’d realized because by the time he made it to the top the sun was only brushing the top of the trees instead of halfway risen. More time to explore, he thought as he dug his notebook from his bag and wandered inside.

The main building had been carved into the mountain, the room as large as one of those “football fields” that turned up in archaeological reports from time to time. The walls held recesses every few meters and yet more carvings had been made from floor to ceiling. Unlit torches had been mounted between them, cobwebs strung up in dusty threads in the flickering lamplight. At the rear of the temple was a statue of what had to be the first Anzu. It matched the descriptions he’d translated the day before at least, wings spread and mouth open in a silent roar. Upon closer investigation, one of the wings appeared to have broken off and been reattached somehow, magic maybe, but several teeth were missing as well as an ear. Whoever had repaired it either hadn’t returned in a while or hadn’t bothered with the small things. 

He started translating at the alcove closest to the entrance, carefully going over each carved symbol multiple times in the dim lighting before he actually wrote anything down. A winged being rested in the center of the writing, their story surrounding it, and each of them had been someone who’d achieved greatness in the eyes of their peers. One Anzu had used their magic to stop a flood, another healed a plague, heroes inscribed on the walls for their descendants to learn about, but as he reached the far end of the temple they stopped. There was only rough stone with what seemed like graffiti, unless the words “JJ loves Isabella” held more meaning than the obvious.

When this place had been built it had been intended as a place of worship for the Anzu, a tribute to their ancestors where their history could be preserved, and preserved it was. Unlike the rest of the city this temple seemed mostly untouched by the Calamity, although whether it was thanks to the builders actually crafting it into the mountain itself, magic, or just luck; maybe the beings memorialized here had been looking after it. Yuuri made sure to run outside every so often so he knew when to return to camp, but if he hadn’t known that Celestino and Phichit would worry if he didn’t come back he might have brought food with him and slept here to save time.


	4. Chapter 4

For the next few days he returned to the temple, translating the stories inscribed on the walls for as long as he possibly could before making his way back to the others and lying about where he’d been. Yuuri’s biggest fear was being found out, having to share where he’d been going before he had a chance to finish his own exploration, no longer being able to work with only the sounds of his feet on stone and the distant rushing of the waterfalls. One of the recesses had been covered in carvings that were so high up he wasn’t able to make out what was written at the top, but whoever this had been dedicated to was too interesting to ignore. He ventured outside and gathered up some of the long vines and some branches, tying them together into some makeshift scaffolding as he’d been shown in school but the setting sun forced him to stop before he could finish.

He’d made it halfway to the town before he realized he’d left his notebook in the temple and he ran back through the cave on sore legs. Celestino would kill him if he was late! Yuuri had been about to walk inside when he heard noises from inside the main room, thumping and banging, muffled grunts. Had some animal come while he wasn’t there? Slowly, very slowly he poked his head into the doorway and froze.

The creature had gotten tangled in one of the vines he’d left on the floor, its large white wings struggling to break free as it rolled over and into the wall, letting out a bark of pain as silver hair was pinned under its body. It flipped over again and large blue eyes stared at Yuuri, the light of the setting sun making them shine before it stopped moving. They just stared at each other before the archaeologist began walking towards the trapped being, although it immediately began thrashing on the floor and smacked into the wall once more.

“I- I’m not going to hurt you.” Yuuri’s voice echoed against the stones, loud and more menacing than he’d wanted to be. He realized that whatever this was it didn’t speak Common and he repeated the statement in Anzu, although the creature just started thrashing more. “Stop! You’re going to hurt yourself!” He grabbed the vine and although he knew his pocket knife would easily break it he didn’t want to risk hurting either of them, so he settled for trying to rip the plant into pieces.

Up close the Anzu looked so very human, if not for the wings still tangled up in vines and the silver hair that only trapped the creature further. It seemed male, his muscled chest covered by some sort of white apron-shirt that tied in the back, a pair of tan pants on his legs, and no shoes. His face was angular and pale despite the relentless sun outside, with sharp cheekbones and narrow brows; scared blue eyes staring up at him but not a word came from his thin lips as Yuuri worked to free him. Finally the last vine fell away and Yuuri took several steps backwards before sitting on the dirty stone floor in an attempt to prove he meant no harm.

The creature rose to his knees, hands trembling beneath him as he stretched out his left wing tentatively, but a flash of pain contorted his face when he attempted to open the right one and he collapsed. The white feathers had been tinted pink even from a couple of meters away, a few sticking out in different directions from the rest of the wing like they’d scraped up against the wall wrong. Grabbing his backpack Yuuri began rooting around in it for the first-aid kit he knew was in there, although it had ended up at the very bottom because he’d only used it once. He found it sandwiched between a book with water damage and a crumpled photo of himself and Phichit. Bandages, antiseptic, something to clean the wound with; he dampened his handkerchief with some water from his canteen and approached the Anzu once more.

“Please let me help you.” The creature shuffled away quickly, his eyes wide and scared, but he’d literally backed himself into a corner and there was nowhere for him to run. “Would you prefer I let you bandage yourself? Or can you use healing magic?”

The Anzu had pulled his uninjured wing in front of him as though using it as a shield, the other one still hung at an awkward angle and Yuuri felt disheartened when he realized that the sun had already set. He was late, Celestino and Phichit would be so mad at him, so he hurriedly set down what he was holding, scooped up his notebook and sped out of the temple. “I’ll be back early tomorrow, I hope you’ll accept my help then.”

As predicted the two men were both annoyed and relieved when Yuuri made it back to camp, the anger from not obeying orders overshadowed by the fact he was alive and unharmed, but it came with having to give away one of his secrets. “I found the old temple, It’s on a bluff between the two waterfalls and I spent an hour climbing up to it, getting down took a bit longer so that’s why I was late. I managed to translate some of what had been carved into the walls and it seems to be stories about heroic Anzu, ones that healed a plague or protected their town from outsiders.”

“You found their temple? Did it look recently used?” Celestino’s eyes had lit up from interest while Phichit listened intently.

“No, apart from the fact it was still standing I don’t think anyone’s gone back to it in a long time. The floor was covered in dirt and apart from my own there weren’t any footprints. My guess is it was abandoned after the Anzu made a new temple, because it survived the Calamity it might have been used until they had a replacement, but since these creatures seem determined to stay hidden they might have expected people like us might find this place.” White wings streaked with dirt and blood, a pale face contorted in pain and illuminated only by the small lantern he held, blue eyes full of fear. Was it alright? Was its wing too injured to fly on? Would it be unable to return to its home because Yuuri had left the vines out in the open?

He tossed and turned that night, unable to get the Anzu’s face out of his thoughts as more and more questions came to mind. Had it eaten? What did they eat? Should he bring food tomorrow? Had it been able to bandage its wound? I’m never going to get some sleep unless I get some answers first. Yuuri decided, getting out of the sleeping bag and returning to the temple.

The interior was even darker without any bit of sunlight to illuminate anything. Yuuri’s lantern only brightened a few feet around him and he would have tripped over the Anzu had he not heard it cry out in alarm. In the flickering light the creature looked ethereal, his skin paler and his hair like molten silver, his good wing casting half his face into shadow while the other seemed stuck in that awkward position. “I’m sorry! I should have...” he trailed off lamely in Anzu before sinking to the dirt-covered floor.

“You came back.” The Anzu’s voice was somewhat deeper than Yuuri had expected it to be and yet it had a soothing tone that he liked, melodic almost; he wanted to hear more of it.

“I said I would, I’m a bit early though. I didn’t know if you’d be hungry but I brought you some food anyway, I doubt you’ll like the protein packs but I managed to find some fruit.” He dug out a couple of round, dark blue apple-looking objects and held one out to the Anzu.

“Please tell me you didn’t eat one of those.” Blue eyes stared suspiciously at the fruit.

“N-no, I’m not hungry, why?”

The Anzu sighed and swatted the fruit away. “It’s called an ash apple, and it’s poisonous. Were you unaware of this fact or were you deliberately trying to kill me?”

With a jolt Yuuri threw the ash apple far away from him, wiping his hands on his jacket as though the poison might still be on them. “It’s only toxic if eaten, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one of your group.”

He was so surprised he forgot to speak in Anzu and had to repeat himself. “You... you were watching us! It was you I saw that first night!”

“I’ll admit I was surprised that you hadn’t fallen asleep like your comrades, but I needed to see if you’d be a threat or not. I never expected for you to make it all the way up here, or for you to set a trap for me.”

“It wasn’t a trap I swear! I had been in the middle of building something and left the vines out because I didn’t think anyone else would come in here,” The lantern began to fade and Yuuri glanced behind him at the moonlight spilling in through the temple door, it was almost a full moon and he hadn’t needed the lantern before coming indoors. “Would you mind if we go outside? I don’t think I can clean your wound if I can’t see it.”

The Anzu rose to his feet slowly and strands of silver hair escaped the pale braid that came to his waist, his bad wing trembled as he was now reduced to using one for balance, dried blood poking out from underneath several feathers. He stared at Yuuri as though expecting him to do something but the archaeologist wasn’t sure exactly what it was he should have been doing, and then the creature made his way to the door, moonlight transforming him into the winged silhouette from only a few days ago. 

Once outside the cool night air was a blessing on Yuuri’s sweaty face after the stuffy temple, however because the light from the moon allowed him to see the Anzu clearly he wished it were darker so his blush wouldn’t be so obvious. It had to be magic that caused the being to look so... perfect, surely some kind of spell had been cast that made the archaeologist unable to look away from him and made his heart race. He was built like a dancer and his willowy body was all muscle, his arms slender and fingers elegant as he toyed with his braid, and as he sank to the ground and put his bare feet in the river. Beneath those white wings was a sort-of tail, although it reminded him most of those feather fans ladies used to own before the Calamity, large white feathers overlapping each other before tapering off at his thighs

“Are you just going to stare at me all night?” Ice blue eyes locked onto Yuuri’s own brown ones before he kicked up a spray of water.

“S-sorry.” He dipped a cloth in the river before he realized that he’d actually have to touch the Anzu’s wing in order to properly clean the wound, he didn’t even know the creature’s name. Gently, ever so gently, he pulled the appendage lower so he could actually examine the injury, his fingers brushing the silky smooth feathers but resisting the urge to stroke them. “It’s Yuuri, by the way.”

“Excuse me?”

“My name, I thought you deserved to know, it’s Yuuri.”

The creature was silent as he undid his braid and began to comb it with his fingers and Yuuri took a good look at the wing. The wound was smaller than he’d originally thought, a jagged cut less than fifteen centimeters long and a few centimeters deep, but the bruise that surrounded it was already yellowing. He must have hit it hard against the wall and cut it on some rough stone, but thankfully not much dirt needed to be wiped away thanks to the feathers that covered it. Those, however, were caked in dried blood and required more attention to make them clean, his handkerchief had changed from light blue to mottled brown by the time he’d finished and could start applying antiseptic. 

“Do you want me to bandage it too, or do you think just cleaning it is enough?” He wasn’t sure a bandage would stay in place but he’d try if needed.

“Just for tonight, until it doesn’t seem likely to start bleeding again. I think it’s sprained though, I know it’s badly bruised at the very least, and I won’t be flying for a few days.”

“I- I’m sorry, is there anything else I can do to help?” Yuuri couldn’t help feeling guilty, he was trespassing in this sacred place and had even injured someone although he certainly hadn’t meant to do so. 

“Can I have something to eat? I’ve been stuck here for hours and there’s no food anywhere.”


	5. Chapter 5

Morning came all too soon for Yuuri. He’d gotten back to camp before the sun had started to rise but he knew he’d been up far later than was good for his already exhausted body. Coffee, he needed coffee or he’d pass out and fall off a cliff. Last night the Anzu had eaten the fish caught for him without bothering to cook them, his sharp nails picking the last bits of meat off the bones to ensure he hadn’t missed a single morsel. It had still not trusted him and after he’d checked the bandages to ensure they hadn’t gotten soaked through he hadn’t been allowed more than a few feet away from the creature.

“You said your name is Yuri?” The Anzu had pronounced it the way most foreigners did, the u shorter than it should have been. The Japanese language had become even more uncommon after the Calamity had all but wiped Japan off the map.

“Yuuri, there’s a bit more emphasis on the u. You can call me Yuri if it’s easier though.”

“Yuuri...” Those blue eyes seemed wistful, as though remembering something, before they widened in surprise, and possibly horror. “Ancestor no, he’ll kill me if he finds out! Everyone must be worried about me.” 

“Who will kill you?” Yuuri sat down and leaned against a pillar, drained from everything that had happened in the past twelve hours. He was having difficulty translating because of how sluggish his brain seemed to be but he needed to know the answer.

“Nobody, it’s nothing,” the Anzu waved a hand as though dismissing Yuuri and hue seemed to compose himself. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“What about you? Will you sleep here?”

“Yeah, it’s fine, I’ve done it before when I was younger.”

“Do you need a blanket or anything?”

“I’m fine Yuuri, I’ll be here tomorrow morning. Bring more food.” 

There had been nothing he could do besides make his way slowly to camp and climb back into his sleeping bag, his eyes closing the instant his head hit the pillow. Phichit had actually needed to shake him awake a few hours later, exhaustion making his body heavy and sluggish as he struggled to shake off the last bits of sleep. He wanted to tell Celestino that he wasn’t feeling well, that he hadn’t slept much and needed a bit more rest if he was going to be at all useful that day, but he remembered the Anzu waiting for him and knew he had to get up.

With the sun up it was easier to scour the nearby plants for anything that might be edible in addition to catching a few more fish. Hopefully the creature would find something he liked. Celestino and Phichit had been understanding when Yuuri asked them for permission to investigate the temple on his own, saying he needed quiet in order to translate what had been carved on the walls. They might not have liked not being able to see it themselves, but they were aware of his anxiety and that he worked best when by himself.

The Anzu was inside the temple when Yuuri arrived, curled up in one of the back corners where the sun’s rays couldn’t reach with his good wing covering him like a blanket. Even so he had to be cold and the archaeologist wished there was more he could do. Upon hearing footsteps the creature shifted, the wing lifting just enough for him to see before dropping back down.

“Oh, it’s you.” His voice seemed almost bored, or maybe he was just tired.

“Yes, I brought more fish and some plants of questionable toxicity,” Yuuri sat down on the floor and began taking out the food from the sample bag he’d placed it in. “I also need to check your bandages.”

“What kind of plants?”

“Oh, uh, might be poisonous? I’m not sure if I used the right word there.”

“You speak our language well for a human. How did you learn it?” The Anzu slowly rose to his feet, stretching his arms over his head and wincing when his injured wing extended slightly.

“I studied it for years, although practice conversations don’t compare to the real thing.”   
Instead of responding the Anzu sat down once more and examined one of the roots Yuuri knew was edible -he’d eaten them the other night- before popping it into his mouth. “You have a strange accent.”

“Oh...” He wasn’t sure how to respond. 

“Where are you from?”

He should have expected this question. “New Asia originally, but I’m here because of the Royal University.”

“The what? I don’t understand.” Yuuri realized that he’d referred to the University in Common, Anzu didn’t have the words for it.

“It’s uh, it’s a place where humans learn. After the Calamity humans wanted to learn about what life was like before, so they created the University to train humans to explore and gather information. It’s where I learned your language.”

“Have you learned much about the world?” The creature looked interested, his good wing extending slightly.

“Probably not as much as you have.” It must have been the wrong thing to say because the Anzu seemed to deflate somewhat, his uninjured wing drooping.

“You humans must think we’re wise because we choose to hide from you, or because we have magic. The truth is because we hide we know so little about the world around us, and the elders are so afraid of being discovered that they don’t let us do anything to change that. I wasn’t even supposed to be here, we’re not supposed to leave the village, but I couldn’t help it. I just felt so trapped, but now I’m even more trapped,” he laughed drily. “Stupid me.”

The Anzu had that sad look on his face again, Yuuri hated to see him so depressed. “When I was a student at the University I came close to dropping out because I thought I wasn’t smart enough to be an archaeologist.” He’d never told this story to anyone and yet it felt like the right thing to do. “My friend Phichit convinced me to sneak into an abandoned building with him instead of sitting around being depressed. It wasn’t pre-Calamity, but it was still falling apart after less than twenty years. All the doors had been locked so we had to crawl in through a hole someone had made in one of them. We were so scared someone would see us and we’d get expelled so we wore dark clothes despite it being sunny.”

“Once we were inside the first thing we noticed was the smell. It was really musty and weird, like earth that had gotten moldy, which made sense because there was mold everywhere. The only people that had been in this place for the past decade were those who’d broken in to look around so it was in really bad shape. The back half of the building had completely collapsed and parts of the ceiling looked like they were about to cave in as well, we had to listen for sounds of creaking and groaning to make sure the roof didn’t come down on us without warning.”

The Anzu was listening intently, his blue eyes wide with interest and his body unmoving. “Despite having been unused for so long there were still chairs and cabinets in relatively good shape, and a filing cabinet that had been knocked over and all the paperwork just been left there. It was so weird, to be in a place and see proof that others had been there before you. That humans had worked there day after day and yet it had been abandoned with so much still in the building. There was something special about it, and it I guess Phichit must have known that I’d be able to appreciate that place, to find beauty in something the rest of the world had written off as useless.”

“I didn’t drop out of school and I began studying harder than ever because I wanted to see more of what the world had to offer. I wanted to explore places far older than that building, to learn what life had been like for them, and while I haven’t seen a whole lot yet I know I can look forward to whatever it is I find.”  
The Anzu had been silent the whole time, picking at the food with his legs stretched out in front of him and his eyes reflecting the flickering lamplight. “I want to see the world too, but I’m stuck here.”

Yuuri wasn’t sure of exactly what he could say to help, so he gestured to the creature’s injured wing. “I should probably check your wound.” They made their way outside to the edge of the river they’d sat at the night before and he began to unwrap the bandages so he could take a look at the cut beneath them. It had stopped bleeding and seemed to have scabbed over but he still wiped the area with the only clean area left on his handkerchief and applied more antiseptic. The skin surrounding it had swollen slightly and the bruising had deepened to purples and blues, greens and yellows; Yuuri could tell that even the slightest brush of his fingers against them caused the Anzu to wince.

“It seems okay for now, but I wouldn’t move it much until the swelling and bruising goes away. It’s clotted much faster than I thought it would, is that because of your magic?”

“I guess so, you humans are so fragile,” the creature huffed but it seemed almost amused by how different they were and it gave Yuuri an idea.

“Let’s play a game,” the Anzu looked confused but didn’t say anything. “Both of us have a lot of questions so let’s take turns asking them, however if you answer one of my questions with a lie I’ll do the same for yours. Sound fair?”

Several seconds passed before the creature nodded, and rather than sitting on the ground like Yuuri was doing he laid down on his stomach, chin perched on his crossed arms. “What’s the most interesting place you’ve been to?”

“Besides here?” Yuuri tapped his chin thoughtfully. “There’s a place in New Asia that used to be some kind of... I’m trying to think of how to describe it. I guess it was a place of worship for some kind of mouse creature, I think it was called Disney, and there were all these different shrines built to it. Some were built like castles, others like mountains, and yet there was a whole area of nothing but small buildings that seemed to have sold offerings to the mouse god.” 

“One of the strangest shrines had boats and a fake river inside, like people were supposed to sit in the boats and simply float around until they reached the entrance again, but the rest of the place was full of scary dolls. If they weren’t supposed to be scary they are now, the paint has chipped off most of them and their clothes had fallen apart, but their eyes were still there and no matter where you went they stared at you.”

“That sounds horrifying and yet I still want to see it myself.” The Anzu mused.

“My turn. What’s your name?” There was no answer, the creature was biting his lip as though unsure if he wanted to give the truth or not. “I gave you my name and I told you about Disney, it’s only fair. Do you not want me to tell you about other stuff I’ve seen?”

“Viktor, my name is Viktor.”

Yuuri hadn’t expected a creature like him to have such a normal-sounding name. He’d thought it would be something he couldn’t pronounce, but he couldn’t help but feel happy upon finally having something to call the Anzu. “Viktor huh?” It was fun to say. “It’s very nice to meet you Viktor.”

Yuuri only left once the sun had almost finished setting, the reds and oranges that had filled the sky fading away to deepest blue and twinkling stars. They had continued talking for hours, only stopping to eat or drink, and while they’d both had questions they were unable to answer the tension between them seemed to have lessened somewhat. He had gone on talking about the strange place and their mouse god while Viktor revealed facts about his species. 

It was clear that Viktor didn’t trust him much, the pieces of information he gave were half-truths or things anyone could have figured out without much trouble. The Anzu valued their privacy, they were stronger and faster than humans, their senses were better than humans, they could use magic: Yuuri wrote it down anyway. Only a few things had been actually useful, like how their ancestors had been three meters tall with a seven meter-long wingspan and how time had weakened their race. If he could have the archaeologist would have stayed in the temple overnight, but if he didn’t return to camp Phichit and Celestino might look for him and discover exactly what he was hiding from them.

The next day started off in a similar manner, although Phichit was concerned that Yuuri was overworking himself from the exhaustion evident on his face and the way he downed his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing. It was easy to brush of his friend’s concern by reassuring both him and Celestino that he’d try to go to sleep earlier that night before he waved goodbye and headed back to the temple. 

Viktor was inside again, flat on his stomach as he stared at one of the alcoves, reading about whoever had been memorialized in the dark stone. Upon hearing Yuuri’s footsteps he turned towards the doorway and inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. “Two days in a row, I may not starve to death after all.”

“How’s the wing today?”

As if in answer Viktor extended his wounded wing slightly and winced. “Still sore, I think it will take three or four more days before I can use it again.” The swelling had gone down and new, pink skin had started to grow over the cut but the bruises looked just as bad as they’d been the previous day. Yuuri wished there was more he could do but he was just a human, and humans couldn’t use magic.

“What would you like to do today? Are you tired of hearing me describe things badly?”

“Sadly you’ll have to try harder if you’re trying to get me to lose interest. Tell me about this ‘University’ of yours.” Viktor seemed to enjoy sitting by the stream, kicking his bare feet in the water and watching how the droplets reflected sunlight as they splashed back down.

Yuuri sighed and plopped down on the hard stone cliff. It was remarkable how nothing had grown here over the centuries. “Well, the building itself isn’t all that interesting, they keep adding on new departments or storerooms so it’s a patchwork of different building materials that’s really confusing to look at. The older sections are turned into classrooms so that students have to learn in cold, dusty rooms while everyone who graduated gets to work in the newer and nicer labs. The man in charge of this expedition, Celestino, isn’t one of the better-liked teachers just because he’s loud and most of the other researchers prefer to work in quiet without someone constantly interrupting them to tell them a story.” 

“I don’t mind most of the time, he’s one of the few people who treats students like they have something valuable to contribute instead of underlings who are in the way. I had an internship with this horrible guy who constantly second-guessed my work and made me feel really bad about myself every day I spent with him. I wanted to drop out of school that time just so I never had to see him again but Phichit spent a whole day persuading me not to, he had to bribe me out of my room with my favorite food.”

“You keep mentioning this Phichit. Is he your mate?” Viktor’s eyes were wide and curious.

“What? No! I told you he’s my friend!” Yuuri dug around in his backpack once more and pulled out the photograph of himself and Phichit. “This is Phichit, he has this device that lets you preserve images on paper so he gave me this when we graduated. He was always more interested in technology than I was, especially when it came to using magical energy to power machines.”

Yuuri handed the picture over for Viktor to examine, turning the paper over as though he expected the faces there to vanish. “How does it work?”

“You’d have to ask Phichit, all I know is that the device can capture a moment and by transferring it to paper you can share it with others. He’s the one who took the time to learn all the technological stuff while my interests were a bit stranger.” He took the picture back and pocketed it.

“What did you study there? I thought you were all taught the same things?” Viktor was motionless as he listened to what Yuuri said, his eyes once again shining in the late-morning sun.

“There are different departments that study different things and students can choose which area they want to focus on after a few years at the University,” Yuuri shoved the photograph in his pocket and stretched his legs out in front of him. “The first few years everyone is taught the same things so we all have a basic understanding of what happened after the Calamity and how the world has changed since then. There are even a few theories that have been tossed around as to exactly what might have caused it, although there’s no concrete evidence as to the true catalyst.”

“The Calamity... we have our own thoughts as to what might have caused it, but like you said there’s no good way to find out since it happened so long ago.” 

“The one that seems the most likely to me was that since the pre-Calamity humans had no knowledge that magic existed they built one of those...” Yuuri ran a hand through his hair before rubbing it against his forehead in frustration. “Ugh, those energy factories whose name is escaping me at the moment. They did some dangerous stuff in order to produce energy and the other stuff that was created as a result was deadly...”

“I have no idea what you’re talking ab-”

“Nuclear plants! That’s it! The theory was that a nuclear power plant was built somewhere too close to a natural source of magic and the two energy sources clashed. The resulting explosion was the Calamity and it caused all sorts of earthquakes and tsunamis and other natural disasters that destroyed almost everything.”

“New-clee-ar? Has it ever caused an explosion before?” 

“Yeah, it was really unstable for some reason. There was an entire city that was affected when a plant had some kind of malfunction and for a hundred years nobody could go near it without becoming sick. It makes sense that an energy source that could cause such devastation by itself might create something even more dangerous when the possibility of raw magical power mixed with it. Humans have been struggling to harness magic and use it as an energy source ever since they learned about its existence, we know how volatile it can become if misused.”

“You... You seem to have given this a lot of thought.” Viktor’s blue eyes were wide, his lips pursed and brows lowered in confusion.

“Sorry, I was rambling wasn’t I? I had to write a paper about it so I did a lot of research.”

“Changing the subject slightly, you studied languages, didn’t you?”

Yuuri brightened at this, happy to focus on a topic he knew more about and was less depressing. “Yeah, I double-majored actually. I focused my studies on magical creatures and the language they spoke, you all are so much more interesting than we humans could ever be. It’s why I was picked to come here in the first place, there were rumors of winged beings having lived in this area and the University sent our team to see it it was true.”

“Which it is.”

“Yeah,” the knowledge that Anzu existed and that he was actually having a conversation with one didn’t make Yuuri happy when he considered having to report back about everything he’d found here. He might be able to keep Viktor a secret from Phichit and Celestino, but one of the higher-ups was bound to notice if he slipped up and revealed information that could have only come straight from the creatures themselves. “I don’t plan to tell anyone about you though. Not even my best friend and my mentor.”

At this Viktor seemed to perk up slightly, some of the tension in his body vanishing with the knowledge that apart from Yuuri nobody knew he was stuck in the temple. “Thank you.”

Yuuri smiled and rolled onto his side, propping his head up with one hand. “So, now that I’ve told you all this it’s time for you to tell me where you come from, at least a little bit.”


	6. Chapter 6

The third day proceeded in the same way as the previous two, both of them asking questions about the other’s life and telling stories of interesting things that had happened to them. Yuuri had once again been nothing but kind to him checking on his wound as well as bringing him food and keeping him company until he was forced to return to his makeshift camp in the old Anzu village. Viktor almost wanted to ask him not to go, not to leave him alone for another night in the huge, empty temple where all he could hear was the roaring of the wind outside.

Despite his reservations Viktor had still said goodbye to Yuuri that night before he retreated inside the temple and looked for a spot to sleep so he might be more comfortable than last night. His body ached from the hard stone floor and it got much colder after the sun had set so he was forced to wrap his wings around him in an effort to stay warm. Another miserable night awaited him, but the prospect of learning more about the outside world made things seem more bearable. 

_Is that the only reason you’re excited to see him again?_ The voice in his head was mocking. _Are you sure it’s not because you’re growing fond of him?_

Viktor had seen the humans arrive at the village ruins, observing them for days while trying to stay unseen. He hadn’t been aware anyone had been awake that first night when he’d dared to approach their campsite, so when he saw someone actually climbing the cliff he was both scared and impressed. That day in the temple he hadn’t been sure of what would happen; Viktor had been trapped by vines and if Yuuri turned out to be one of those humans that wanted to imprison magical creatures he would have been doomed. The last thing he had expected was to be freed and his wound bandaged, much less to be brought food and told stories about the places he longed to visit.

Yuuri was an enigma. His looks were ordinary at first glance, black hair and brown eyes hidden by thick glasses, his skin slightly tanned and his arms and legs toned from weeks in the jungle. It was the rare occasion where he smiled that his entire being was transformed, it was those moments when he let his guard down that he no longer seemed human. The sun caught the flecks of gold in his eyes and the wind tousled his hair in a way that made Viktor wonder if he was capable of using magic or if it was just coincidence. 

“What do you think you’re doing here?” A voice echoed off the walls. “Do you really think it’s okay to hide in this temple just because Yakov said something you didn’t like? He’s even angrier than usual thanks to you going missing and half the village thinks you’re dead! The only reason I’m even here is because I remembered you telling me about how you sometimes snuck away to this crumbling place when you didn’t feel like dealing with your responsibilities.” The small bit of light from the setting sun was blocked by a shape standing behind him and the bitter tone of the speaker’s voice was all Viktor needed to recognize them.

“Hello Yuri, “ he spun around to face the teenager who was no more than a silhouette in the doorway. “How are you doing today?”

“Oh skip the pleasantries, we both know you don’t actually care.” A sphere of light appeared in front of the speaker and bathed the room in a flickering luminescence. Yuri was just like he’d been a few days ago, his blond hair brushing his shoulders and his green eyes flashing with anger as he spotted the awkward angle of Viktor’s right wing. “What kind of a mess have you gotten yourself into now?”

“Have you told anyone else that you were coming here?” Viktor’s met Yuuri’s glare with one as cold as his voice.

“You know full well we’re not supposed to leave, I know we’re not forbidden but the elders make it seem like anyone who dares go outside the village is committing some kind of crime. Of course I didn’t tell anyone you might be here.”

“Good, because it looks like I’ll be stuck here for a few more days. I hurt my wing and I can’t fly until it heals.”

If looks could kill Viktor might have died. Yuri’s golden wings flared as he stalked towards the older Anzu. “You did what?”

“I hurt my wing and I can’t fly until it heals.” Viktor was unapologetic as he repeated himself. 

“You have to be the stupidest creature to ever live! Not only did you sneak out of the village when we’re not supposed to but you actually managed to hurt yourself? Just what did you do?The elders will be furious when they find out and as much as I want to see Yakov yell at you this might be too much even for me.”

“Aww, you do care about me.”

“I care that you’ve put our entire species at risk! You do know there are humans nearby, right?”

“You do realize that this temple is high up, right?” Viktor huffed and chose a spot on the floor to curl up on. “You worry too much, I have everything under control.”  


* * *

“So, do you have a job you’re supposed to be doing instead of hiding out here?” Yuuri looked up from his notebook where a half-finished sketch filled the page.

“We don’t really have jobs like you humans do, we don’t need them. I’m a sky dancer, I lead most of the rituals we do back home.”

“Sky dancer? How does that work?” 

Viktor rose to his feet and stretched with his hands clasped together above his head, his hair unbound and waving gently in the breeze. “Well, a lot of it is flying and aerial maneuvers but there are moves that can only be done while standing as well. The elders make a big deal about me leading the ritual dances but I don’t see why, only the fledglings seem to make an effort anymore,” he sighed. “I’ve been dancing for twenty years and I’ve realized that my whole life has turned into a dance I can do blindfolded. The same routine over and over but nobody else seems to notice. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”

“Well, this is a change in the routine, right?” Yuuri tried to sound comforting but he knew there wasn’t much he could do for the Anzu.

Blinking as though he’d forgotten Yuuri was there Viktor was silent for a few seconds before speaking. “It is, although I wish that we’d met under different circumstances.”

“Yeah, I’m enjoying this time together. It’s going to be weird when I return to the University. How can I possibly go back to a lab after being out here and experiencing so much?” Yuuri had heard about archaeologists that barely spent any time at the University, the urge to explore pushing them to go on expedition after expedition just so they were always doing something. He could understand how they felt, while he hadn’t exactly enjoyed the bugs or humidity there was a kind of peacefulness he didn’t think he could find anywhere else.

“Oh yeah, you have to go back eventually,” Viktor looked almost crestfallen, his wings drooping slightly. “It’s so strange to think I met you less than a week ago and yet I feel like I’ve known you a long time. Is that weird?”

“No, I understand. I mean, Phichit is my best friend and all but this feels different somehow, maybe it’s because we’re both searching for a purpose to our lives.”

“How would we go about finding a purpose? That sounds hard,” Viktor pursed his lips.

“It’s not like we can treat it like a missing pet, ‘lost purpose, last seen when I was a child.’ It doesn’t have a very good ring to it.” Yuuri tried and failed to keep the smile from forming on his lips.

“I’m not sure I completely understand what you’re asking but give me some time and I’ll get back to you on that.”  


* * *

“I should be fully healed in two days. Technically I could probably fly tomorrow but I don’t want to risk it and end up hurting myself again.” Viktor had extended both wings fully so Yuuri could examine them for his notes, and while he wasn’t capable of feeling through his feathers every so often the human’s fingers would brush skin and it sent a jolt down his spine. It was strange, grooming was a natural part of an Anzu’s life and he’d had others touch his wings before, but somehow it had never felt so... intimate.

“Makes sense, I’m sure you want to get back soon but it’s smart to avoid stressing the wound before it’s fully healed.” Yuuri’s fingers had found the spot where his wings connected to his shoulder muscles and each touch left his skin tingling as though he’d received an electric shock. If it had been anyone else the sensation might have been unpleasant but Viktor was left craving more, praying that the moment would never end. If he were going to continue being honest with himself then he knew that his wing would have recovered enough by the next morning, but who knew what Yakov would do when he did return to the village. He would give himself one extra day to figure out just what he felt for the human, to decipher the jumble of emotions that overwhelmed him and kept him from sleeping.

The day after tomorrow he’d go back, but tomorrow he would be selfish because despite being confined to the temple grounds he was no longer trapped by the expectations others had placed on him. One day more of freedom, and then what? 

“It seems like you didn’t follow my advice, mon ami,” the satyr was sprawled in a patch of sunlight with his arms folded behind his head. Yuuri had left an hour ago and yet Viktor had stayed atop the cliff, gazing out at the ruins beneath him. “Although from what I’ve been seeing that might be a good thing.”

“Chris!” Viktor’s wings flared out in surprise as he faced his friend. “Have you been spying on me? When did you even get here?”

“A few minutes ago. Should I have interrupted your alone time with your new amore?” Rising to his feet Chris stretched before winking at his friend.

“My what?”

“Boy toy, crush, apple of your eye, I can go on if you’d like?” Viktor’s face had gone red by the time Chris finished speaking, his mouth half-open dazedly.

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about, I don’t think about Yuuri that way and he definitely doesn’t feel that way for me.” Rather than meeting his friend’s gaze the Anzu was focused on how his hands were now clasped before him so tightly his knuckles had begun to turn white.

“I’ve seen the way you look at that human like he’s the most wonderful thing you’ve ever seen, and you know for yourself that you have seen some pretty amazing things in your life. That’s why you took an extra day to be with him even though we both know you could have flown back today without any problems,” Chris was adamant, arms folded across his bare chest as he faced Viktor.

Viktor understood though, Yuuri was different from everyone else. He was special, like a rainbow after a storm the human had come when he’d needed someone to rescue him from the mess his life had become. He had been understanding where so many others had just assumed Viktor was simply “acting out again,” treating his emotions like they had no meaning. There was something that tied the two of them together, some invisible connection forged link by link with every similarity they found in each other, and with each passing day it grew stronger.

“You know that when you actually do return the elders will be even more insistent that you find a mate, your vanishing act must have reinforced their belief that if you settle down it will keep you from causing trouble.”

“Please don’t remind me. The last thing I need is those stuffy jerks breathing down my neck about mates even more than they already do,” Viktor sank into a crouch and stared at his reflection in the river. “Even if you’re right about me, there’s no way Yuuri feels the same way and there’s no way we can be together. He’s still a human.”

“He has the same look on his face when he sees you, if that’s not love then I don’t know what love is,” the satyr huffed and crouched down as well. “He won’t stay here forever, he said so himself, so what will you do if he leaves before you work out exactly what you want to do?”

“I know! I know he has to leave, that’s why I’m so confused! I have so many different emotions right now that I can’t tell how I feel and yet I know that the others will never accept him!” Without meaning to Viktor’s voice rose so he was nearly shouting. “We may not be a violent species but there’s bound to be one Anzu willing to kill Yuuri if they believed it would protect us. They’re bound to be on edge already because of the humans being here, if they found out that I’ve been meeting with one, that I have feelings for a human... Nothing good will come of it.”

“What are your options though? What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know Chris, I really don’t know.” The next day he couldn’t help how the conversation played over and over in his head as he prepared to leave. 

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Yuuri wrung his hands together as he scanned Viktor from head to toe. “Your wing isn’t stiff from not being used is it? You’re sure you’ll have no trouble flying?”

“I’ll be fine, I know my own body. Will you be okay without me?” Viktor smiled at the blush that crept into Yuuri’s cheeks. 

“It will be hard but I think I can manage.” 

“Good, because I know it will be a few days before I manage to come here again. I’ll be watched more closely so I don’t vanish again, but if I behave the elders might be fooled into thinking I’ve become more... manageable while I’ve been away. If that works I might be able to slip away without anyone noticing.” There were a lot of uncertainties but Viktor was hopeful that his plan would work, it had to work or he’d never see Yuuri again.

“Just be careful, alright?” Yuuri gave a shy smile, his cheeks flushed with color. There was an uneasy silence before he wrapped his arms around Viktor’s waist and pulled him into an awkward hug. It lasted mere seconds before they broke apart, the archaeologist’s face now a bright red and his eyes fixed on his muddy shoes. “I’ll see you in a few days?”

“Y-yes,” oh ancestors why did he have to stutter now? “See you soon.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art for this chapter was done by the lovely [dyeingdoll](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/post/174764897752/my-entry-for-yurionicebigbang-part-2-and)

While Yuuri knew that Viktor had said he probably wouldn’t be able to return to the temple for a couple of days it didn’t stop the archaeologist from taking that familiar cave to the bluff each morning. He worked on translating the rest of what had been written in the alcoves and when that was done he moved on to organizing the information he’d collected on the Anzu. His hand lingered on the page where he’d drawn Viktor and he wished he was a better artist, the crude sketch did nothing to capture such ethereal beauty.

The second day he gave in and took Celestino and Phichit with him. He’d already told them it existed and now that there were no magical creatures hiding inside it there was no reason to stop them from exploring it themselves for a few days. The temple was large but since all the carvings had been translated there wasn’t much else to grab their attention, Yuuri figured that they’d make some notes and take some pictures before moving on. He’d been right, but by the end of that third day his mentor announced that they were to start hiking back to their rendezvous point in five days.

“That’s a bit soon isn’t it?” He’d protested only because he didn’t want to up and leave without even saying goodbye to Viktor. The thought of never seeing him again was painful and it was the small things he’d miss the most, how his face would light up when Yuuri talked about his travels, how he found everything Yuuri had to say interesting. It was crazy to think that in only a week he’d gone from a creature that only existed in myths to something like a friend.

“We’re due back at the University in a month and it will take at least two weeks to hike back through the jungle if we’re lucky. Besides, I’m looking forward to an actual meal, a bath, and a warm bed, aren’t you?” Celestino’s grin was so warm Yuuri felt bad for lying to him. Of course he had no clue that Viktor even existed or he too might want to wait for the Anzu to return before they left.

“Ah, yeah,” he gave a small smile back. “I probably smell terrible. I could use a nice, long shower.”

“I just want to eat something other than fish and plants, I’d kill for some cake right now,” Phichit threw another log into the fire and the crackling embers and dancing flames were reflected in his gray eyes. “I’m even looking forward to the food in the University cafeteria if you can believe it!”

“Even that weird casserole that’s always overcooked?” All three of them grimaced at the memory, rubbery pasta and chunky sauce that was always burned on the bottom. It was no wonder people often chose to bring their own lunches if they could afford to do so.

Just as they were cleaning up from dinner there was a clap of thunder in the distance. It had rained before but the thick canopy of branches had sheltered them from the worst of it. They had not dealt with an actual storm and they didn’t want to in the crumbling Anzu village where none of the buildings had roofs or offered much protection from the elements. The last thing they needed was a wall collapsing on them while they slept. 

“What about the temple? We should be safe in there.” Phichit had to raise his voice as the wind picked up. Yuuri wasn’t thrilled with the idea, especially when he remembered that the original Anzu had been rumored to control thunderstorms, but it was either risk getting hit by lightning or spend the night the way Viktor had been forced to. They packed up their belongings as fast as they could before making their way to the cave entrance in the dim light of their flickering lanterns just as the rain started.

Illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning in the distance the temple seemed much more menacing than it had by daylight. The black rock shone and for the first time Yuuri realized that they would be staying in the heart of the mountain itself. When the sun was up it was easy to forget that the building had been carved into the cliffside but now he felt as though he were truly trespassing on sacred ground. The statue at the far end seemed much more menacing with the wind echoing off the walls and making it seem like the original Anzu was roaring for them to get out.

 _Please forgive me great Anzu. Forgive me for all I have done since we first found the ruins. I mean no disrespect to your descendents nor do I intend to harm them, I came here to learn about these amazing creatures and we will be gone in less than a week. If I have done anything to anger you because of how I have acted either towards this temple or towards Viktor please forgive me and permit us to stay here tonight._ Although a part of Yuuri felt awkward in offering up a prayer to the guardian of the temple he did so anyway, it couldn’t hurt.

They set up their sleeping bags in the far corner that Viktor seemed to prefer because it stayed in shadow even after the sun had risen and within minutes Celestino had fallen asleep. It was once more just Phichit and Yuuri who lay awake and he realized that it had been a while since they’d last done so. He’d been so exhausted from staying with Viktor from dawn until dusk that he hadn’t paid his friend much thought until that moment. 

“So, spill,” Phichit didn’t sound angry, his voice was more melancholic than upset. “I know you’ve been hiding something from me and it has to do with this temple. I’ve looked over every inch and I can’t find anything that might explain why you kept us from coming here for so long, even if you did just want peace and quiet it shouldn’t have taken a week. So, just what did you find that you couldn’t tell me, your best friend, about?”

He should have expected Phichit would notice how strange his behavior was since they’d known each other for years, through highs and lows, fights and jokes. How could Yuuri possibly explain what he’d been doing without actually mentioning Viktor? He’d sworn that he wouldn’t tell anyone about the Anzu and he meant to keep that promise no matter what. “I... I found an injured bird,” would that sound believable? “It had hurt its wing so I didn’t want anyone coming to the temple because if it got scared it might injure itself more. The other day it flew away so it was safe for you guys to come here.”

“A bird? Katsuki you can be so weird sometimes, I thought you’d actually met someone. You’ve been acting all lovesick.” 

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, who would I meet? Ah yes, this bird is so beautiful and...” he trailed off as his chest tightened. Just what did he feel for Viktor? While it wasn’t love it might very well turn into love someday. If only he wasn’t leaving in a few days...

“And what? Did you fall asleep mid-sentence? Did you actually meet a hot bird because I’m confused.”

“I thought I heard something, sorry.”

“There’s a thunderstorm going on, you probably hear a lot of things. I repeat, you’re a weird one Yuuri,” did Phichit believe the lie? “But that’s why we’re friends I guess, we’re both too weird for the rest of the world to handle.”

“Yeah, who else would put up with your silly automatons? Like that one you designed to wake you up in the morning?” Yuuri laughed. “How long did that black eye last?”

“Two weeks, I had to pretend that you’d thrown something at me.”

They both laughed at the memory and Yuuri felt somewhat better about their situation. He wished he could tell Phichit the truth just so he didn’t have to carry the secret like a weight around his neck, growing heavier with each passing day. He slept fitfully that night, the roaring of the storm outside and his conflicting emotions keeping him awake far longer than he wanted.

Three days passed and although Yuuri still went to the temple each day he was losing hope that he’d actually see Viktor again before they left. A few days and then he’d have to say goodbye to this place forever, to the crumbling houses and the pond fed by waterfalls, to the temple itself and the memories he now associated with it. It would be like leaving a piece of himself behind and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be whole again or if he’d spend the rest of his life trying to fill the emptiness.

The temple was once again deserted, nobody had been inside it since the storm, and Yuuri wondered if he should just turn back so he didn’t spend another day doing nothing. There were things he still needed to do before he left but he had no motivation. What did it matter if some of the carvings in the village weren’t translated? Phichit could take a picture for him to work on whenever they got back to the university and the problem would be solved. He slid his backpack off his shoulders and dug out his notebook just to look at the picture he’d drawn, if he never saw Viktor again this would be the only thing Yuuri had to remember him by.

“Is that me?” A voice came from behind him and Yuuri jumped from shock, he would have fallen over if someone hadn’t caught him.

“Viktor!” Yuuri couldn’t help the smile that came to his face, Viktor was there and it was like the days of waiting had never happened. The pain and loneliness that he hadn’t even realized he’d been feeling was replaced with something so light and warm it was like he’d sunk into a bath. “You came back!”

“I got away Yuuri!” Viktor grinned and spun him around, his smile so bright it was nearly blinding. “The elders were furious with me for everything, you know, getting hurt and risking the reveal of our species and I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without supervision until now. I’m still technically supposed to be supervised but I think I lost whoever it was watching me.”

“Are you okay? Did they do anything else to punish you?” The archaeologist took in Viktor’s appearance and although he tried not to his eyes still lingered on that muscled chest and his gorgeous face. Evidently they had spent too much time apart if these things affected Yuuri so easily.

“No, they wouldn’t do anything major to me because they didn’t want to risk losing their best dancer. Yakov gave me an earful though, he nearly yelled himself hoarse lecturing me on all the different ways I’d disappointed him and the rest of the village.” Tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear Viktor groaned and rolled his eyes. “Everyone else was just happy to see me again so I don’t think they were too upset.”

“I’m just happy I get to see you again because...” Yuuri had to tell him, they both knew this day was coming. “I leave the day after tomorrow.”

Viktor’s face fell. “You’re going so soon? I finally got away...”

“Yeah, we were only given two months for the expedition and it will take a while to hike through the jungle again,” he took a deep breath. “When I was first chosen for this trip I was convinced they’d picked the wrong person, that I wasn’t skilled enough for something like this and I’d disappoint everyone. I might still have felt this way if I hadn’t met you, if I had never found you that night or if you hadn’t decided to trust me things would be so different right now. We wouldn’t be having this conversation for starters, and I wouldn’t have learned all about your kind, but more importantly, I wouldn’t have gotten to know you.” 

“A part of me doesn’t want to go back to the University because it means that whatever this thing we have right now will end, and even though I know I will never be accepted by your kind that same part of me would risk eating poisonous fruit if it meant I could still see you. I can’t stay though, no matter how much I want to. If the other Anzu found out I was here they’d, well they wouldn’t kill me but they’d probably tell me to leave.”

“They would pray to our Ancestor for you to somehow die before you could tell someone about our existence,” Viktor replied dully and Yuuri couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. “I wish you didn’t have to leave though.”

“We still have two more days, let’s make them count.” Yuuri wished there was something he could say to distract them from the inevitable.

“You never answered my question, by the way.”

“Huh?” Viktor’s smile was mischievous, his blue eyes glinting in the setting sun.

“Was that a drawing of me?” Yuuri felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment. 

“It- it’s for science!”

“Sure it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figuring out how to embed that picture was fun....


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The incredible art for this chapter was done by the amazing [dyeingdoll](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/post/174764885982/my-entry-for-yurionicebigbang-part-1-i-worked?is_related_post=1)

The day before they were supposed to head back Celestino brought out a bottle of whiskey he’d been saving the entire expedition, chilled from spending hours submerged in the cool pond. They had nothing to mix it with and the taste was harsh but they drank anyway; a celebration was a celebration and they’d all worked hard enough to warrant one night of revelry. Phichit could not hold his liquor whatsoever and after he’d finished a third of his cup he’d started giggling, his and Celestino’s laughter reverberating off the walls of the house they’d made their base in. Yuuri sipped his own drink slowly, his mind back in the temple with Viktor as he recalled the disappointing way they’d parted.

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” Viktor wings had drooped sadly, his whole posture sagging as he’d met Yuuri’s gaze with sad eyes.

“You know I can’t, I’m sorry. We’re supposed to leave at dawn so I won’t see you tomorrow. This is goodbye Viktor. It’s been an honor to know you.” He’d left before he got an answer, his throat burning from the urge to cry. It hadn’t been fair to leave like that, the whole situation they were in wasn’t fair but there was nothing either of them could do about it. Things would be so much easier if Viktor just came with him to the University...

That was it! The solution was right there: no more awkward goodbyes and hurt feelings, they could just be together. His feet had started to move of their own accord. Celestino called out to ask where he was going but Yuuri didn’t answer and there were no further questions as he headed back to the temple. He didn’t have his light but he didn’t need it, he knew this cave by heart and he could only hope that when he emerged at the other end there would be someone waiting for him.

“Viktor!” He stood close to the edge of the cliff, as though he’d been watching the camp all along, but he practically flew to Yuuri upon hearing his voice. Those blue eyes were red-rimmed and slightly swollen as they took in Yuuri’s drunken state, catching him before he fell over. 

“Yuuri, what are you doing? What’s wrong with you?”

“Come with me Viktor, come back with me. You want to see the world right? You can come on expeditions with me and we can stay together!” Yuuri’s head had started to spin from running through the cave and he leaned into the Anzu’s arms, a whine escaping him as he was lowered to the ground.

“I- what?” Yuuri’s heart sank at the expression on Viktor’s face. He didn’t understand? Why didn’t he understand?

“I think I like you Viktor, I like you and I don’t want to move on with my life knowing that you’re not a part of it. You said you don’t know what you’re doing anymore, you feel trapped in the same routine day after day, so come with me and be free! We can look for our purpose in life together!”

Viktor shook his head sadly as he backed away from Yuuri, hugging himself and scanning his surroundings as though he’d find the answer carved into the mountainside. “I can’t, you know I can’t. I could never come back Yuuri. What if you’re wrong and my purpose was here all along?”

“What if I’m right though? Neither of us knows what the future holds but at least we’ll find out together.” Yuuri frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets, his right hand brushing up against a piece of paper he’d forgotten was in there. Pulling it out he saw the photograph was even more crumpled than it had been the last time he’d seen it but his and Phichit’s smiling faces were still there. Without giving himself a second to doubt himself he tore the picture in half, placing the piece with Phichit back into his pocket before holding the other half out to Viktor. “I’m not going to force you to do anything, but if this really is the last time I’ll see you I want you to have this. Something to remember me by, to prove that even if years go by the time we spent together wasn’t wasted.”

“Yuuri, I-”

“I’ll try to come back. It may take years or even decades but I’ll come back for you, so wait for me okay?” Viktor accepted the photograph with trembling hands, the moonlight making his beautiful features look just as ethereal as the day they’d met.

“Thank you,” Viktor’s words were cut off by a sob. “I’ll wait as long as I can.”

* * *

“Why didn’t you go with him? He was offering you the perfect solution.” Chris stared at the humans as they packed up their camp. 

“It’s not like I don’t want to go with him, but my whole life is here. I’d never see this place again, the elders might be against violence but if I tried to come back who knows what could happen. Yakov might actually make good on his threats when he finds out what I’ve done, how I revealed our existence to humans. Who knows what he would do if he learns I fell in love with one and want to choose him over my own kind?” Viktor sighed, clutching his knees to his chest as though if he let go he’d be unable to resist flying to Yuuri.  
“Do you really think so little of him? What can you possibly think will happen that would make you come back here? I’m not saying I won’t miss you, but what kind of friend would I be if I kept you from happiness,” Chris gave him a sidelong glance before his eyes flicked to the temple. “Did you see what he left for you? You know, after you flew away and abandoned the poor boy on the side of a cliff?”

Viktor’s head snapped back up and while his eyes were still rimmed with red his gaze was steady. “What are you talking about?”

Chris stood up and pulled Viktor to his feet, struggling slightly from the weight of his wings, before dragging him to the temple entrance. Once they were both inside he pointed to a new carving that had been added to one of the walls, the one Viktor had often fallen asleep against while waiting for his wing to heal. He traced the jagged marks as he read them, the crude symbols tugging at his heart and bringing more tears to his eyes.

“Yuuri and Viktor, until we meet again.”

* * *

Compared to finding the village their hike back to civilization was a breeze, partly because they had made a map and actually knew where they were going, but after only two weeks their small group found themselves blinking in the sunlight. Riding a horse was strange after over a month without any practice but the rendezvous point was still kilometers away and they had only a few more days until the airship was due to arrive. It was surreal to Yuuri how he’d leave this place behind and return to the University like nothing had happened, like his whole life hadn’t changed in a few short weeks. 

Phichit had kept up a constant stream of chatter the entire time but Yuuri had barely listened. At first it it had been easy to attribute his listlessness to a bad hangover but after a few days of him barely saying a word it became clear that something other than alcohol was the cause of his mood. “Missing your bird?” 

“W-what?” Yuuri was taken aback by how accurate Phichit’s statement was. Had he seen Viktor? Did he know?

“You said you helped an injured bird in the temple, it was the reason you kept us out of it. Did you form some sort of attachment to it? You probably could have taken it back with you.” Phichit followed close behind Yuuri on his horse and while he looked cheerful his voice sounded worried.

“It belongs there, it wouldn’t have been right to take it from its home.” Yuuri kept his gaze on the ground, praying his horse didn’t need much direction and would follow Celestino’s. He didn’t want to think about Viktor, about how he’d run instead of giving a proper goodbye. His chest ached every time he thought about their time in the temple, how his eyes would light up whenever Yuuri talked about the outside world, how he loved to sit with his feet in the river. Every memory caused him pain and just when he thought he’d recovered enough to function the emotions would overwhelm him again. 

“I guess, but you’re starting to make me wonder if you’ve been possessed. Was that place haunted? Do I need to-” Phichit stopped in mid-sentence and Yuuri turned to see his gaze fixed skyward, eyes wide and mouth open. “Wow, Yuuri. Check it out, that bird is huge!”

“What bird?” A shadow passed overhead but Yuuri didn’t have the energy to care. 

“Right there, look...” Phichit’s jaw dropped. “What the hell?!”

Pointing a finger skyward Phichit finally broke through the haze clouding Yuuri’s thoughts. “Look!”

“What has you so-” he lifted his gaze to whatever it was causing Phichit such distress and he felt hopeful for the first time since he’d left the village as a familiar figure came into view. “Interested.”

There, white wings spread wide as he touched down on the road in front of them, his silver hair wind-blown and his face wearing the biggest smile Yuuri had ever seen, was Viktor. He’d changed clothes and was now wearing a light-blue sleeveless shirt over a black undershirt and faded blue pants, his bare feet covered by dirt rather than shoes. How had he found them? 

“Viktor? What are you doing here?” Yuuri was afraid to blink, afraid that if he closed his eyes Viktor would vanish. His heart pounded so fast he thought he might pass out but the cloud of despair that had muddled his brain was gone. For two weeks he’d been lost in his own misery and unable to see a path that didn’t lead to more sadness, none of it mattered anymore because Viktor was right there in front of him.

“Yuuri! I’m going to the University with you!” Viktor took a few cautious steps towards them, his blue eyes taking in the horses and the shocked expressions on Phichit’s and Celestino’s faces. Then he sprang forward and Yuuri was only able to make a small cry of surprise before he’d been tackled to the ground and Viktor began nuzzling his face happily. 

“Viktor that tickles.” Yuuri laughed, his backside aching from impact but he didn’t care. Viktor was here. He had chosen to come with Yuuri rather than stay in his home. He wanted them to be together. There were no words to describe how Yuuri felt. It was better than that time he’d gotten drunk on a stolen bottle of champagne with Phichit and they’d spent the night giggling and content. 

“You’re so going to tell me all the details!” Phichit’s grin was mischievous.

“‘Injured bird,’ I swear if you’re keeping anything else from me-”

Viktor seemed to realize they had an audience and reluctantly climbed off of Yuuri before helping him to his feet. “Yuuri, what did he say?” Speaking in Anzu had become second nature and Yuuri hadn’t realized that he might be the only one present that was able to understand what Viktor was saying. 

“He’s confused because I told them I’d found an injured bird,” straightening his spine Yuuri addressed Celestino and Phichit in Common. “This is Viktor, I met him-”

“Yeah you were hiding him in the temple, I guessed that much,” Phichit cut him off before he could finish. “What’s he doing here? Didn’t you say something about ‘it would be wrong to take it from its home?’”

Rather than translate everything Phichit said Yuuri simply repeated the question in Anzu. “I already answered you, I’m coming to your University with you,” He’d latched onto Yuuri’s arm like it was a toy. “I told you I’d get back to you on finding our purposes didn’t I? I was meant to come with you.”

“How did you find us though? It’s been weeks since we left the village.” Two long, painful weeks. 

“I couldn’t go into the jungle because of my wings so I watched you from above. I tried calling out to you but you couldn’t hear me,” Viktor cupped Yuuri’s face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together. “You looked so... empty. It was painful to watch and be unable to do anything to help you.”

“You’ve helped me more than you know.” Yuuri had been about to say more when he heard the sound of Phichit’s camera. 

“You were too cute, I couldn’t help it,” Phichit winked. “I’ll give you a copy.”

The next few days progressed in a much more cheerful manner, Viktor either flying or walking alongside the horses and asking questions about almost everything they passed. He’d never left the mountain, never ventured farther than the ruined village and he needed to know about everything he saw: buildings, animals, plants, nothing was exempt. Yuuri grew accustomed to translating Common to Anzu and the other way around, questions and answers continuing mile after mile. 

“So Viktor, how do you feel about Yuuri?” Out of habit Yuuri translated the question but he seemed to realize just what it was he was saying partway through, his cheeks turning pink.

“I really like you! You’re so important to me and I want to spend my life with you.” Instead of translating Yuuri’s face went from pink to red and choked on his own saliva.

“I’ll take that as a confession. This is too cute, you’re going to be the envy of everyone back at the University.” Phichit’s smile was some cross between amused at Yuuri’s reactions and ecstatic at how adorable he and Viktor were.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you Yuuri, but you do realize that when we return with Viktor the higher-ups will want to study him, right? An actual Anzu in the University, there’s no doubt that they’ll try to take him away from you.” Celestino cut in, his tone serious.

Yuuri had been expecting this conversation since he’d first recovered from the shock of seeing Viktor again. “I know, the cryptozoology division will lose their minds when they see him and they’ll probably try to lock him up. I refuse to let that happen. He’s not a science project just because he isn’t human, he has the right to decide if he lets people study him.”

“They won’t like that.”

“I don’t care. Viktor risked so much by coming to me and while I don’t know why he chose this path he has the right to be happy. We all deserve to be happy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written while listening to Rewrite the Stars on repeat... No regrets.


	9. Chapter 9

The ride on the airship had been one of the strangest things Viktor had ever done. Iit had been unsettling to fly without using his wings at first but the ship flew higher than he was capable of going and could stay airborne longer. Below him the world seemed so small and yet he was painfully aware that he was the small one, it was everything else that was big. They flew for days over land and sea and while he’d grown tired of the flat expanse of water within minutes Yuuri had kept him occupied by trying to teach him Common.

“It will be helpful for you to understand some basic phrases so you don’t have to rely on me to translate everything,” Yuuri had said while he wrote the alphabet on a piece of paper. “While I don’t mind I think it would help prove to the higher-ups that you’re not... not an animal,” he coughed awkwardly. “I mean, I know you’re not an animal, but others might need some convincing that you’re Viktor, that you have a mind of your own and are capable of making your own decisions. If you’re at least able to introduce yourself and answer some questions they might react better.”

Viktor hadn’t objected to the lessons; he’d hated not being able to read most of the things he now saw or understand what Phichit and Celestino were saying to him. Besides, it meant he was able to spend time alone with Yuuri. They shared a small room on the ship, and while the archaeologist had seemed distressed when he’d seen there was only one bed for the two of them to share he hadn’t seemed to mind waking up to Viktor hugging him. Sleeping with wings was awkward because he couldn’t lie on his back and he always seemed to end up snuggling as close to Yuuri as he could. In the daytime they sat on the bed while Viktor wrote the alphabet over and over, repeating the words taught to him and trying to remember what they meant. It was somewhat claustrophobic to spend so much time indoors and he often needed to stand on the main deck and feel the wind on his face. He wasn’t meant to be cooped up for so long and it was more than a relief when they landed.

Yuuri had said the University wasn’t interesting-looking, but that was far from true. It was as if several buildings had tried to merge together, a mishmash of different materials from wood to stone. A set of doors had been crafted from some kind of transparent material that shone in the light of the setting sun, so large they easily fit his wings with several meters of room above him. Once inside what seemed to be the entry room Viktor saw the jaws of every human fall open upon seeing him, their eyes widening in shock as one of them actually dropped what looked like a cup and it shattered against the marble floor.

A man considerably wider than the other humans approached Celestino, his tone disbelieving as his beady eyes looked Viktor up and down before locking on his wings. Of course people were curious about his wings, from what he’d seen they were the feature that separated him from everyone else in the room, so he extended them ever so slightly as though to prove they worked.

A warm hand gripped Viktor’s and he turned to see it was Yuuri’s, his cheeks were slightly pink from either attention or his own boldness. “One of the higher-ups, he’s all talk so I wouldn’t worry about him. He likes to seem more important than he is.”

Celestino seemed to brush the man off and gestured to Yuuri, Phichit, and Victor for them to follow him. The other humans still hadn’t recovered from their shock, hadn’t moved while the small group passed through a door into another room, and then another and another in a winding maze of connecting rooms that had no discernable pattern. Finally they reached a closed door with a gleaming brass plate on it and Celestino knocked only once before it opened and a severe-looking man stood before them. He had thinning gray hair and an angular face, his nose large and beak-like while his eyes were so dark it was as though he had no irises.

Yuuri still hadn’t let go of Viktor’s hand, and as they stepped into the room whatever it was this man was saying only made him clutch it harder. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like how everyone is looking at you, like you’re a new toy to play with.”

“Let them look,” Viktor cleared his throat and the severe man raised gray eyebrows at him. He’d been practicing the sentence for days, it was one of the few Common things he could say. “I am Viktor, I belong to Yuuri.”

* * *

Doctor Smith seemed more irritated than amazed at Viktor’s statement, his dark eyes narrowing under furrowed brows as he took in the silver hair and wings. “So, Yuuri,” he coughed as though addressing someone so far beneath him was painful. “You own this creature?”

“Viktor isn’t a possession, nobody owns him. He chose to come here of his own free will because he wants to learn and he’s willing to tell you about his kind, the Anzu, with a few conditions.” He was also incredibly handsome, kind, and funny among other things but like hell was he saying that aloud.

“We don’t have to agree to anything, this isn’t going to be a negotiation Mr. Katsuki.”

“First,” Yuuri pretended not to hear him. “You will provide a room for Viktor to stay in. Second. Viktor stays with me at all times-”

“Wouldn’t he have to stay in your room then?” Doctor Smith peered at him in obvious annoyance.

“Fine, I’ll need a larger room then. Getting back to the second thing, you will not question Viktor, you will not examine him if I am not there. I’m the only reason he’s here and the only reason he’s behaving.” It was an exaggeration but Yuuri felt no need to share that detail while he was so focused on how to keep his voice from shaking.

“Are you threatening me Mr. Katsuki?”

“Threatening? Goodness no, why on earth would I do something so foolish? That was a warning Mr. Smith.” Smiling felt uncomfortable, forced, but it was important to at least appear like he knew what he was doing.

“You’ve got a nice guard dog there, but even if you train it an animal is still an animal .” Mr. Smith scowled and motioned for them to leave.

“The way I see it humans are far worse than the Anzu. I gave a you a warning sir, see that it doesn’t turn into a threat.”

* * *

“Before I show you my room I have to pick something up.” There was no need to motion for Viktor to follow as they turned down the next hallway, he clung to Yuuri like a small child. “I left him with one of my friends to take care of while I was gone.”

“Him?” Viktor’s silver brows rose in confusion, his foot sliding in the slippers he’d been given to wear until they could find him a pair of shoes.

“I have a pet, usually he stays in my room but since I was going away and couldn’t bring him with me I had to make sure he was fed and played with.” 

“Oh.” Instead of the usual curiosity or interest in learning about new thing Yuuri saw a petulant expression on Viktor’s face.

“Are you jealous of my dog? Look, I love my dog but it’s nothing to be jealous of.” They stopped in front of one of the doors, identical to the others lining the small hallway apart from a hand-drawn picture taped to it. Yuuri knocked several times and a high-pitched cry soon sounded before the door opened. At first Viktor thought nobody was there but looking down he saw a small girl standing there. 

He’d never seen human children before, just the fully grown ones that seemed to be everywhere, and his heart flipped over on itself at the sight. Then two other girls stepped behind her. All three of them had brown hair tied back, large brown eyes, chubby cheeks, and surprised expressions on their faces. “Yuuri!” The first girl spoke, her clothes pink and her hair in a ponytail. Viktor wished he could understand more Common as the three of them spoke to Yuuri in rapid succession, their eyes darting to him every few seconds. 

“They think you’re an angel,” Yuuri laughed. “It’s another kind of winged creature there are myths about, although nobody knows if they actually exist or if it’s just another name humans gave the Anzu.”

“Who are these humans? Are they the pet?” 

“No, no these are my friend’s daughters,” Yuuri exchanged a few more words with the girls before one of them ran off. “Hopefully she’ll actually get her mother.”

“They’re so small.” Viktor had seen children back at the Anzu village but only briefly, they were protected by their parents and kept out of sight. Fledgelings were rare and tradition dictated that for the first few years of their lives nobody but their family and the elders could see them. These humans were like nothing he’d ever seen before, especially how they looked identical except for their hairstyles and the color of their clothing. They were adorable.

“Yeah, but they get into all sorts of trouble already. You won’t think they’re cute in a few weeks.” Another cry echoed through the room and a female human now followed the girl who’d left, a furry brown thing in her arms. The expression Yuuri made upon seeing her made little spikes of jealousy pierce Viktor’s heart, until he realized that it was directed at the brown thing. When she’d gotten close enough for him to look at what she was holding he understood why Yuuri had acted the way he did. Nothing compared to the tiny creature, with its curly brown fur and big eyes, its pink tongue lolling out as its tail wagged happily. 

“Vicchan!” Yuuri picked up the creature tenderly, holding it up so they were nose to nose. “I missed you buddy!”

The woman stared at Viktor before saying something to Yuuri, the two of them speaking for a bit but all his attention was focused on the scene before him. They were too cute, he was dying from how cute his Yuuri and the creature were together. He must have made some kind of noise because everyone seemed to be looking at him curiously before noticing where his gaze was focused.

“Oh, sorry!” Yuuri grinned and the combined amount of adorableness threatened to overwhelm Viktor. “This is my dog, his name is Vicchan.” Then Yuuri held the dog out to him, and his heart melted into a pile of goo.

He briefly recalled talking to Vicchan and telling it just how cute it was, petting it’s soft fur and letting it lick his face happily. Then there was a tug on his pants and the three girls were staring up at him with wide eyes. If they wanted the dog they could pry it from his cold, dead hands.

“They just want to say goodbye to Vicchan, he’s been staying with them for months and they’ve gotten a bit attached,” Viktor was surprised to see that it was the woman who spoke, it wasn’t just Yuuri who knew Anzu then. “I’m Yuuko, by the way.” He crouched down so the girls could see the dog, panting happily within his arms, and they took turns petting him. 

“Bye bye Vicchan.” He had learned enough Common to understand what they were saying, and he didn’t miss the sad tone to their voices. Three pairs of brown eyes stared at him, and his already melted heart dissolved even more.

“I am Viktor, I belong to Yuuri.” The girls looked confused, but it was the only way he’d learned to introduce himself. Yuuri exchanged a few words with them before they turned back to Viktor.

“I’m Axel!” The girl in purple stood proud with her hands on her hips.

“I’m Lutz!” The girl in blue did the same, as did the one in pink.

“I’m Loop!” They had such strange names but Viktor just smiled at them, not knowing how to respond properly.

“Nice to meet you.” Yuuri supplied, taking Vicchan back, and he did his best to repeat it. Common was hard. They said goodbye to the girls and their mother, before setting off down another hallway. More doors, more windows, more turning right or left whenever they came to an intersection, Viktor’s feet were starting to hurt when they finally came to a stop.

“This is my apartment, you’ll be staying with me and Vicchan in here until they find better accommodations,” Yuuri opened the door to let him in and Viktor looked around at the small room that appeared to be divided into three different sections, a table and chairs in one corner, an area with a tiled floor and strange boxes, and a living area. Two more doors were set into the walls, humans seemed to have a fixation with privacy, and glowing orbs hung from the ceiling. “It’s not much but it’s home.”

He was right, most of the furniture seemed to be there because it had some kind of purpose, there were only a few objects that appeared to be purely sentimental for some reason or another. Viktor heard the door shut behind him and the scratch of nails on the wood floor before Vicchan was pawing at his leg happily. Maybe there were so few personal items because Yuuri didn’t need them when he had his dog to keep him company? “It smells like you,” The scent had faded over the months he’d been gone but it was still present along with the scents of that woman, Yuuko, and Phichit.

“Is that bad? Hopefully they’ll find us a new place soon so we have more room and you can get your own bed...” Wringing his hands together Yuuri avoided making eye contact, what had him so worried?

“I like it, it’s comforting,” he sat down on the floor and began petting Vicchan. “There’s so much here it’s a bit overwhelming so it’s nice to be in a place that feels familiar, even if I’ve never been here before.

“Would you be happier if we stayed here then? I can cancel the request for a new apartment if it would make you feel better to be here.”

Looking around the apartment again Viktor was fully aware of how small it was. There were only a handful of centimeters between his wings and the ceiling and he’d have to be careful so he didn’t hit the glowing orbs, but for the first time since he’d left the village he felt at peace. He was with Yuuri and despite how confusing everything was they were together and they’d find a way to make it through whatever life threw at them.

“I’d like that.”

* * *

The first week was chaotic, every department wanted to get their hands on Viktor and Yuuri felt like he was living in one of the games the pre-Calamity humans used to play, fending off a horde of fanatical people. He wasn’t sure that if he’d been in Viktor’s shoes he would have tolerated the examinations where he was stripped practically naked and poked at, dozens of eyes watching his every movement. As part of the bargain Yuuri never left Viktor’s side and served as translator and bodyguard, some of the requests he turned down were quite absurd. No they could not cut Viktor open were they crazy?

When they returned to the small apartment in the evenings Vicchan was ecstatic to see them, yipping happily and running around their feet as they sank onto the couch in exhaustion. Some days they went straight to the bedroom and flopped onto the bed. Yuuri had decided to get a bigger one so they both had more space and while Viktor hadn’t been happy, saying that he liked the way the smaller one smelled, he got used to the new one. Even so there wasn’t a lot of room for them to sprawl out unless one of them chose to lie on the couch. Eventually they’d get up again and he’d help make dinner before getting ready to sleep, and just like when they’d been on the airship he woke up each morning cuddling Yuuri to him.

They got into some kind of routine after that, Yuuri had finally gotten most of the other departments off his back by saying he was compiling his research together so he could write an official report on the Anzu and to do so he needed them to leave him alone. One or two brave or annoying people had still approached him to request various tests be done on Viktor and he refused them all. Viktor hadn’t come to the University to be some science experiment, he’d come to learn about the world and to see more than he would have in his home. Still, the constant harassment by strangers didn’t make him more willing to approve a vivisection.

Celestino was technically still in charge of the whole Anzu project, he was a professor and had headed the expedition, but he and Phichit knew that Yuuri had the most information to contribute and that he was the only one who could reliably translate for Viktor. “I should work on making a device that can translate what people are saying for us,” Phichit commented while balancing a pencil on his upper lip. “Yuuri has to help me though, I don’t actually know languages.”

“Right, I’ll get to work on that after we’re done here.” Yuuri muttered as he crossed out a line in his notebook.

Most days were spent in the small office Celestino had been given, pouring over notes and pictures in order to find the best way to compile them, but on weekends Yuuri made sure to take Viktor out of the University. The surrounding city was small but busy, crowded with people who always seemed to be in a hurry, and although navigating the streets was difficult and Viktor’s wings and silver hair always attracted attention they both cherished the time they spent by themselves. A walk in the park, a trip to one of the local museums, a meal at a cafe, Yuuri had done these things dozens of times but now they were completely new experiences.

“Are you happy?” Yuuri didn’t know why he’d said the words aloud, they’d been in the middle of discussing how crystals were used to contain magical energy and he’d gotten severely sidetracked by the words that had been echoing in his head for weeks. What if Viktor regretted coming here? What if he realized that seeing the world and being with Yuuri wasn’t worth the staring and tests? So many questions kept him up at night and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to them. He still cared so deeply for Viktor it was painful to see him treated like some lesser being simply because he wasn’t human. 

“It’s not what I expected, but yes,” Viktor moved his hand so it was covering Yuuri’s, the gentle warmth a comfort. “I don’t like the way I’m treated by some of the humans, but I really enjoy spending time with you and having you show me so many new things.”

“I’ll try to get a few days off so we can take a trip together.”

“Promise?” Viktor’s eyes shone with excitement.

“It’s a promise.”

* * *

“What do you mean you’re going away?” Viktor stared at the items on their shared bed: a few outfits, food, a water bottle, several notebooks, and other things he couldn’t yet place a name to. His hands had closed into fists and trembled at his sides, his wings had unconsciously folded around him as though they were trying to shield him from the torrent of emotions flooding him. 

“I’m not happy about it either,” that large backpack had been dragged out again and Yuuri was shoving everything inside it without much interest. “The higher-ups are insisting that I’m needed to translate something because all the other alumni are away on expeditions. It should only be a few days though.” There was a faint wobble to Yuuri’s lower lip but Viktor ignored it.

“You’re the only one who can do this? I find that suspicious.”

“Apparently. They were very insistent about it.”

“What about me? Can I come with you?” Zipping up the backpack Yuuri frowned, and refused to meet Viktor’s gaze. “Nevermind, I know I can’t. They’re not letting me for some reason because they want to separate us.”

“They say you’ll ‘distract’ me. I tried fighting them on it but they refused to budge, they threatened to fire me and if I no longer work for the University I don’t have any say in what happens to you. My hands are tied here.”

“They’re threatening you? Yuuri this isn’t right! Why don’t you just leave the University and we can see the world together?” Viktor was adamant, his eyes wide and pleading.

“I wish that was possible, I wish they didn’t have me on a leash, but I’ll lose all my funding and my apartment... It’s impossible to do anything if I have no money,” Yuuri’s brow was furrowed in a way that Viktor recognized, irritation and frustration and hopelessness. They really were trapped in their circumstances, had Viktor left one cage for another one? “I’m really sorry. Phichit has agreed to stay with you while I’m gone, and you’ll have Vicchan to keep you company. Oh, and Phichit has pets too, they’re really cute and...” he trailed off at the expression on Viktor’s face.

“I came to this University because I wanted to be with you, but these humans you work for seem determined to split us apart. You know how they treat us, how they view us. How can you be sure this isn’t a trap?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure how much of what I’m being told is true and what isn’t, but I have no choice but to do as I’m told.” Throwing the backpack over one shoulder Yuuri tried to give Viktor a hug but it felt more awkward than anything else because of the tension filling the air. Then it was just him and Vicchan in the tiny apartment, alone and confused once again.

Phichit arrived later that afternoon, and while his hamsters were indeed tiny and adorable they weren’t enough to distract Viktor from his thoughts. Yuuri had left him, left him again, and this time he wouldn’t be able to follow. Maybe he really shouldn’t have come here, he should have stayed in the village and let the elders set him up with some girl he didn’t care about. It was too late to change his mind though, he couldn’t return to that valley, he was a traitor to his kind and they’d never allow him to come back and pretend nothing had ever happened. 

So much had occurred during the past few months, so much had changed the way Viktor saw the world and the creatures occupying it. The Anzu weren’t entirely stupid for trying to stay hidden from humans but on the other hand they were depriving themselves of knowledge that might have proved useful. It would have been helpful to actually know what the world was like outside that barrier of trees so he wouldn’t have been so easily taken in by the allure of the unknown. Would things be different if he hadn’t been so naive?

A knock sounded on the door and Phichit got up to answer it, after hours of fiddling with some device his movements were stiff and off-balance. Whoever it was must have been familiar to him because the door opened, but then a loud crack split the silence of the apartment and Viktor shot to his feet. Vicchan’s tail had stopped wagging and he was growling at the two men, one of whom carried Phichit’s unconscious form in his arms. 

The men muttered something to each other but Viktor couldn’t understand the words, he still knew so little of Common, before they moved towards him. They weren’t going to try to take him, were they? He was stronger and faster than them, not to mention he did have some small bit of magic he’d kept a secret from everyone including Yuuri. He didn’t have a chance to try anything because the man who wasn’t holding Phichit ran at him and in order to dodge the man’s strike he slammed into the wall, his head spun and there was a pinching sensation in his neck. He lifted a hand to the spot and swatted a strange object to the floor, a glass tube with a long needle that shattered on impact, but his body started to feel oddly heavy. What had they done to him? His vision began to blur and the two men split into four, their words ringing in his ears. He slumped against the wall and tried to shake off the sleepiness threatening to overcome him but it was no use.

_I didn’t get to apologize to Yuuri for how I acted. Viktor’s eyes slid shut._


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning for minor injuries, nothing too drastic but I thought I should mention it.

The moment he boarded the airship Yuuri felt weird, it wasn’t his anxiety and it wasn’t motion-sickness but there was a tightness to his chest and a weight in his stomach that refused to go away. As they drifted farther away from town the feeling intensified and it seemed like the very air around him was screaming for him to go back, that something was wrong, that he should have never left. The sky grew dark despite the early hour and the other men on the ship grumbled about rain, men that he’d never seen before but kept watching him out of the corner of their eyes.

What it it’s a trap? Viktor had been suspicious about this whole trip, about why Yuuri was the only person who could help them and why he’d been threatened if he didn’t go. The higher-ups at the University needed to send him away so they could get to Viktor! It was so obvious he could have kicked himself, if he was out of the picture there was nobody standing in their way to doing whatever tests they wanted. One of the men shifted uncomfortably and Yuuri wondered if they were in on the scheme.

He stayed quiet for the whole trip, but when they landed in the airfield he slipped away from the group in search of a ship he could take back to the University. Something small and fast was preferable, but what was more important was that it could be airborne without much effort. The longer he took meant it was more likely for the others to notice he was missing. He spotted a tiny ship docked several dozen meters away, balloons inflated already and only guarded by a single boy.

“I need your ship,” Yuuri stared at the boy and from the expression on the child’s face he supposed he looked terrifying. He didn’t care, he needed to leave as soon as possible. “I swear I’ll return it.” Without waiting for an answer he darted up the boarding ramp and once he was on deck he kicked it aside and untied the rope keeping the ship tethered to the ground. He’d flown a few times, he could do this. 

_I’m coming Viktor._

* * *

The walls were crafted from metal here. While most of the University used stone or wood these walls were metal, sheets of brass welded together every few feet of this room, even the ceiling. A large mirror had been set into one of the walls, reflecting Viktor’s own terrified face back at him. The floor had been tiled in stone the color of ash, a grayish-white marble with threads of black that might have meant to hide the runes carved along the room’s outer edge.

The walls, the floor, the ruins. This room had been crafted to contain people like him, magical creatures whose powers the humans didn't understand and feared so much. The ancient spells to nullify magic were supposed to be used to suppress anyone who might do harm. These men had twisted something intended for peace and compassion into a means to cripple anything that entered so it couldn't fight back. How had they gotten their hands on such knowledge? How had they managed to use such a spell?

With a shudder Viktor returned his gaze to where his wrists had been strapped to the table by leather belts so tightly his fingers had already begun to go numb. He’d woken up in this prison-like lab with a throbbing headache only to find out he'd been stripped of the clothes Yuuri had given him. The humans had stretched each wing out so they stuck out over the sides of the table and caused him a great deal of discomfort, he never slept lying on his back for a reason. One of the scientists ran gloved fingers over the white feathers and in one fluid movement he yanked one out. 

It was an effort to not cry out at the pain that wracked his whole body, his wings were designed to sense the air currents and were especially sensitive because of that. Besides, among his kind feathers that weren’t lost in a molt only went to one’s intended mate as the final part of a courtship. The thought of humans taking something that precious was agony. That feather was meant for Yuuri, not some foul-minded scientist who saw Viktor as nothing more than an animal.

It was more than a headache, he realized, it was a fogginess that clouded Viktor’s mind and tempted him to simply close his eyes and go back to sleep. What had they drugged him with? He didn’t dare sleep though, not with these humans hovering around him and shouting at each other, their eyes hungry as they looked him over. He recognized one of the scientists, he’d argued with Yuuri several times but with Viktor’s limited knowledge of Common he’d been unable to determine what they were saying.

“Yuuri’s not coming for you,” the man spoke in Anzu, he meant for Viktor to understand him. “He’s kilometers away and by the time he gets here it will be too late.”

“Are you going to kill me?” Viktor’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth, the words slurring from the effort speaking took.

“Kill you? No, you’re far too valuable to kill. We want to learn about you.”

“I’ve already told you everything.” Everything he was willing to talk about anyway. If these humans wanted him to tell them where his home was, the valley atop the volcano, they would have to do more than pluck a few feathers to break him. This was why they’d sent Yuuri away, given him a task that would take him out of the University. They wanted Viktor to themselves without anyone interfering.

“There are ways to learn without you talking. You don’t have to say a single thing, although if you scream nobody outside this room will hear you.” He pulled a table closer to him, its surface glittering with metal instruments. Were all those meant for him?

One of the other scientists had a clipboard and addressed the one who spoke Anzu. “He wants to test your healing ability. If it’s as good as we hypothesized this won’t hurt for long.” A small blade gleamed in the human’s hand and Viktor struggled to break free of his bonds. The ruins and whatever drug they’d injected him worked and all he did was chafe his wrists on the leather straps, the scientists chuckling at his terror and desperation.

“Yuuri’s not coming for you.” There was nobody to save him from whatever these humans had planned. They would break him if they wanted to. The blade slashed across his forearm, not deep enough to cut an artery but blood instantly began dripping down his skin and onto the table. Viktor bit his tongue so he didn’t cry out in pain but he couldn’t help the whimper that escaped him. There were rust-colored stains on the wood, how many other creatures had been tortured here?

“You’ve sealed my magic, what do you expect to happen? I may heal slightly faster than you humans but if you want an accurate result you won’t get one.” Don’t let them see your fear. They want you scared so they can manipulate you. Yuuri would come for him, he would.

“You make a good point, but unfortunately we’ll have to knock you out again. There’s no way we’ll risk you getting loose.” The pinch in Viktor’s neck returned and he felt his eyelids grow heavy, he tried to focus on the pain in his arm and wing as a way to stay awake but the drug was too strong and the world faded away to black.

* * *

The trip back to the University had still taken several hours despite Yuuri pushing the boiler of the little airship he’d “borrowed” to almost overheat several times. Such a small ship wasn’t designed to fly so fast but if his instincts were right he needed to return to the University as soon as he possibly could, if he made it back in one piece he’d ask Phichit to teach him more about these things. Faster, he needed to go so much faster and yet the he was forced to go against the wind, thunder clapping in the distance.

It started to rain when he was a few kilometers outside of town, the slight drizzle quickly turning into a full-blown storm within minutes and Yuuri could barely see where he was going, the occasional flash of lightning the only source of illumination in the darkness. His clothes were soaked through and clung to his skin as he tried to steer, weighing him down along with that horrible sensation that something was very wrong. A huge shape rose up in front of him and the airship crashed into a tree with a bang like the thunder around him, the hull splintering apart and sending Yuuri tumbling to the ground.

“Just what I needed.” Yuuri groaned as he got to his feet, his whole body stung and his right arm felt like it was on fire. Sprained or broken so long as his legs worked it didn’t matter and he didn’t even bother to look at the wrecked ship before he took off towards town, he hadn’t cared enough to learn whose ship it had been but it was kindling now. The streets were deserted as he ran past shops and houses with their doors and windows shut tight against the storm, the misshapen silhouette of the University growing closer with each flash of lightning.

The glass doors had been locked for the night but Yuuri knew Celestino’s window was always left unlocked for cases like this where a student needed to get in after hours, Yuuri was through it within minutes, running down hallway after hallway in search of Viktor. While he already knew it would be pointless to check his own apartment he couldn’t stop himself from going there to confirm his suspicions. When he unlocked the door he saw a lone figure on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and looking visibly shaken to see him. Vicchan pranced over, happy to have his owner return but he sat down within seconds and stared at the door as though waiting for Viktor to come back. 

“Yuuri! I’m so sorry, they...” Phichit was clutching his head where a welt poked out from unders his bangs. “They knocked me out, I just woke up. They took him. They took Viktor.”

He didn’t say anything, just gave his friend a quick hug before dashing off again. He listened for any noise, any sign that others might be awake so he could at least have an idea of where in the University to look. With all the additions and remodeling that had been done he couldn’t remember the current layout. There had been one jerk who had been badgering Yuuri about studying Viktor, what department did he belong to again? 

“Did you see lab three has that winged creature in it?” Yuuri skidded to a stop in the hallway, staring at the open office door as another person spoke.

“How’d they manage that? Last I heard it was under constant surveillance.” One step. Two steps. He tried not to make a sound as he approached the door.

“They managed to send its guardian away, by the time he finds out it will be-” Yuuri pushed the door all the way open so they could see him in his sopping wet and battered state.

“Sorry to intrude but I’d simply love to hear more about this.” The men had given up what little information they had as well as directions to lab 3. It might have been because of Yuuri’s appearance or maybe it was the deadly tone to his voice that did the trick but he was running once more with a destination in mind. Right, left, another left, straight ahead, the University was truly maze-like and because he’d never been in the biology department before he knew finding his way back would be even harder. In front of him a glass-paneled room came into sight, one-way mirrors were used in most labs and it meant the scientists couldn’t see him, and even though his arm throbbed and his legs were cramping up he didn’t stop running. 

Locked. Of course the door was locked. He hoped that the men inside hadn’t heard him jiggle the knob but they didn’t look up or even pause in whatever horrid conversation they were having. Yuuri tried his best not to listen as he searched for some other way into the room but he couldn’t help but hear some of it. “The drug’s wearing off, we should reactivate the ruins.” Drug? Just what they done? Viktor lay unconscious on a wooden table with only a gray blanket covering his lower half, his wings extended in a way that looked painful and his left forearm covered in blood.

The glass, he had to break the glass but how? If he threw something threw it he risked hurting Viktor, punching it wouldn’t do much apart from injuring him further... Inside the room Viktor’s eyelids twitched and Yuuri knew he was running out of time when footsteps sounded behind him. He spun around and was relieved to see Phichit had somehow managed to keep up with his frantic running. 

“Need a dramatic entrance?” In Phichit’s hand was an object that looked like a coin at first glance, but upon closer inspection it was thicker and had several wires attached at points. He placed the device against the glass before addressing Yuuri again. “Cover your ears.” A high-pitched noise filled the hallway and hairline cracks appeared in the glass, growing wider with every passing second. The scientists could only stare around with their hands pressed to their head as the glass shattered in a cascade of glittering shards.   
Without giving them a second to recover Yuuri hoisted himself through the hole, slicing his hands open on the bits of broken glass and punching the nearest man in the face. He stumbled backwards into a table of various instruments, knocking it over before he crashed to the ground. Another scientist stepped towards him but the archaeologist’s attention was focused upon Viktor. Blue eyes stared blearily at him and his heart gave a painful throb. “Sorry I’m late.”

A clipboard swung at his head and he narrowly avoided it, knocking the man’s legs out from under him and delivering a swift kick to his head once he was on the floor. Two scientists remained, the bigger of the two was the man that had been harassing Yuuri about Viktor but the girl was so shaken by everything going on that she fainted without being touched. “I thought I made it clear that nobody touched Viktor without his and my permission.” Habit had him speaking in Anzu and he was surprised to hear the man respond to him.

“You were supposed to be long gone, out of the way so you couldn’t interfere. The monster’s opinion doesn’t matter.” Yuuri bristled at the implication.

“Viktor is not a monster! If anything you’re the monsters here! Viktor did nothing wrong, he cooperated with us and let us study him even though it wasn’t what he wanted! You’re not a scientist, you’re a savage!” Yuuri didn’t know he was shaking the man until their faces were inches apart. “The magical creatures have hidden from us because of humans like you and they have every right to do so if this is how we treat someone who came here of his own free will!”

Letting the scientist go he stepped back and turned his attention to Viktor, his expression vacant but he seemed aware that Yuuri was there. This was the second time they’d been in this situation, one of them bound and unable to move, and Yuuri made a silent promise that it would also be the last time. The leather straps around Viktor’s wrists and ankles came off after some effort, the skin rubbed raw from how tight they’d been. 

“You can’t protect him forever. It might not be me but someone else will try to use him for a guinea pig. They’re not human, why should we treat them like anything but a monster?” 

“I shouldn’t have to explain to you why you should care about anything but your own species. I love my dog and he’s not human. We’re capable of compassion and empathy, and I believe there’s a better way to get answers to my questions than threats and torture.” Yuuri tucked the sheet around Viktor before placing one arm under his knees and the other at his back, carrying him like he was the most precious thing in the universe. “I warned you all when Viktor first arrived, I told you not to touch him without his consent and you didn’t pay attention to it. Consider this your last warning. If I ever see you again I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to restrain myself.”

“Yu-Yuuri.” Viktor mumbled into his chest, eyes now closed.

“Yes, it’s me. I’m here Viktor, it’s going to be okay.”

“Feather.” Yuuri didn’t understand what Viktor meant at first but turning back around he spotted something white on one of the tables. A feather, the tip stained red, sat among the various instruments and he quickly snatched it up before unlocking the door and leaving. If he never saw that room again it would be too soon.

The walk back to Yuuri’s room was quiet, both he and Phichit not saying a word as their attention was focused on Viktor. He was surprisingly light for someone who was taller than the two of them, but it made sense for him to be in order to fly, and while his one arm burned he refused to rest or let Phichit take a turn. Only when they were safely inside the room with the door locked behind them did they actually speak.

“Are you okay?” Phichit’s tanned face had gone several shades paler. “You were really scary.”

“No, I don’t think I am okay. This whole situation is so messed up, I don’t even understand what happened.” Yuuri gently laid Viktor on the bed with his wings beneath him despite knowing it was uncomfortable, he needed to check for injuries, to take a look at what had been done on that table. Despite the blood coating his arm Viktor didn’t seem to have any open wounds, the cuts scabbed up and already fading due to his natural healing ability, his wing had some dried blood on its feathers but that was it. His physical injuries were minimal, but mentally nobody would know until he woke up.

“I’m going to go wake one of the doctors.” Yuuri started to protest, wanting to insist that nobody else look at Viktor but Phichit cut him off. “I might have a concussion and your arm has swelled up quite a bit, plus your hands are cut to ribbons. We need someone to take a look at us and patch us up.”

With Phichit gone Yuuri was left to wait for Viktor to wake up. He pulled a chair next to the bed with his good arm and looked at his own hands for the first time since he’d had that horrible feeling that something was wrong. It felt like so long ago and yet it had only been earlier that day; so much had happened in the space of a few hour, so much more could have happened if he hadn’t made it back in time. His palms were a mess from being sliced up from the broken glass, tiny slivers of it stuck to the skin along with dirt and blood, and only after seeing the damage did the pain become real.

Despite the burning in his arm, the stinging in his hands, the throbbing and aches of his entire body, it didn’t seem important compared to what Viktor must have gone through. When Phichit returned with a tiny woman it was a welcome change from the guilt and anxiety that had nowhere to go in the silent room. Yuuri’s arm had gotten fractured when he’d crashed the airship and all his running around, punching people, and carrying Viktor had only made things worse. Then the doctor spent nearly an hour plucking every bit of glass from his hands, before she bandaged them and giving him a cast and a sling. He was under strict instructions not to use his arm or get the cast wet until it healed and then the woman left without another word. 

“Does it hurt much?” Phichit looked at his arm and winced sympathetically.

“It hurts but the medicine is helping, I’m just really tired.”

“You’ve been through a lot, you should get some sleep.” Yuuri didn’t want to sleep but he just felt so drained after everything that had happened. He didn’t notice when Phichit left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My poor babies, it was so hard to write this chapter.
> 
> About the feather thing... I played a lot of Harvest Moon as a kid.....


	11. Chapter 11

When Viktor awoke to find himself in the room he shared with Yuuri, warm and clothed, it took him several seconds to remember why it was such a relief for him to be there. The lab, those horrible humans, the glass shattering to reveal Yuuri looking bedraggled. His memories were foggy from whatever drug they had given him and he found that he was almost happy that he didn’t remember much. He didn’t want to know what they’d done to him while he was unconscious. A groan caused him to turn around and notice just who sat in a chair next to him, fast asleep with his head on the blankets.

Yuuri looked horrible, like a drowned rat. His clothes were damp and covered in dirt and leaves, his hair was a wild nest full of twigs, scratches and bruises covered his face, and his glasses had a cracked lens. His left arm had been wrapped in a thick bandage and now hung in a cloth sling, his hands covered in yet more bandages that had spots where blood had started to leak through. 

Viktor had been so sure he’d never see Yuuri again. He’d been told Yuuri wasn’t coming because they’d sent him away but they’d all been wrong. What had he gone through to get back in time? How had he known Viktor had needed him?

Without meaning to Viktor had reached out a hand to stroke Yuuri’s head, brushing some of the twigs and leaves out of his hair and onto the floor. Yuuri groaned again and started shifting in his chair, those beautiful brown eyes looking around in confusion before they landed on Viktor.

“You’re awake,” Yuuri seemed to be reassuring himself rather than asking a question. “How do you feel? Do you need anything?”

Despite everything he’d been through Viktor couldn’t help but smile, it was just like Yuuri to look half-dead and be more concerned about other people. “I feel like I should be asking you that.” he gestured to the cuts, bandages, and bruises. “Just what happened to you?”

“Well... I might have stolen an airship, crashed it, run through town in the middle of a storm, and broken into the University. Technically Celestino’s window was open and I had every intention of returning the ship before it turned into splinters but that’s not really important.” With his free hand Yuuri began picking the twigs from his hair. “After that I terrified some people until they told me where you were, broke the window to the room you were in, and freed you. Since I’m not sure if you remember much of what happened after being drugged lets just say that those guys will think twice about messing with us again.”

“You... you did all that for me?”

“Of course I did,” Yuuri smiled before wincing in pain, he was so beat-up any of his injuries could have caused it. “I’m just mad at myself for not coming sooner. I’d had this feeling that something was wrong the moment I left, if I’d only listened to it this might not have happened.”

Viktor reached out to cover Yuuri’s good hand with his own, the bandages rough underneath his fingers. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. I don’t want to see your cute face any more injured than it already is,” Yuuri blushed, his cheeks flushing and making his bruises stand out awkwardly. “How bad is it?”

“I have a broken arm, my hands were pretty badly slashed by glass, and my ‘cute face’ didn’t take too well to whatever happened when the ship crashed. I think I need a new pair of glasses too.” Despite how much his wounds must be hurting him Yuuri still smiled as though such grim talk was nothing. His expression turned somber when he met Viktor’s gaze again. “How are you doing? You seemed to have healed when I... fell asleep, but is there anything I can do for you?”

“Lay next to me?” Viktor moved over in the bed, making room for Yuuri to join him like every other night. 

Grimacing slightly Yuuri rose to his feet and climbed next to Viktor, who immediately latched onto him like he was more octopus than bird. “Not so tight, if that’s possible?” It was amazing how someone so big turned into such a cuddlebug when it came to sharing a bed, Viktor enjoyed snuggling as close to Yuuri as possible without his wings getting in the way.

When they were both as comfortable as was possible Viktor spoke in a voice so quiet it was barely audible. “They told me you wouldn’t come for me. They made it seem like you’d be killed so you couldn’t rescue me.”

“I came for you. I’m here, okay? They don’t have you anymore.” Yuuri’s voice was equally soft.

“I was so scared, partially of what they would do to me but mostly I was scared for you. I was worried I’d never see you again.” Viktor didn’t know when he’d started crying but the tears wouldn’t stop, a lump forming in his throat when he recalled all the terrible things he’d envisioned.

“I’m sorry, I never should have left in the first place, you were right,” Yuuri somehow managed to free his good arm from beneath him so he could wipe Viktor’s tears away. “While I’m apologizing for the mistakes I’ve made I’m also sorry about how I said goodbye to you at the temple. It wasn’t fair to you.”

There was silence but Viktor was able to stop crying before he responded, hiccuping a few times in the process. “Why are you sorry?”

“I just left you there, I didn’t give you a chance to say anything because I was too busy being depressed to think about how you felt.”

“Yuuri, you don’t remember?” Viktor’s throat ached as he got the words out. 

“Remember what?” Brown eyes stared at him, wide with confusion.

“Yuuri, you came back after that. You came back to the temple that night and you asked me to come with you. You were acting very strange and your face was red so I thought there was something wrong with you at first,” deep breaths, he could do this. “You asked me to come to the University with you, and when I said I couldn’t you gave me a picture of you so I’d remember you. You said that you’d come back for me, and then I ran away because I was ashamed of myself for being so conflicted. The next day I saw you’d added a carving in the temple and realized that my place was beside you.”

Yuuri’s eyes were wide and his cheeks flushed even darker as he used his good hand in an attempt to hide his face. “Oh no. Oh no no no. This is why I should never drink.”

“Yuuri? Why don’t you remember any of that?” Viktor’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

“I was drunk, that’s why I was acting strange. I had too much to drink and the last thing I remember from that night was sitting by the fire and listening to Phichit singing to himself,” he peered at Viktor between his fingers. “That explains a lot, I couldn’t figure out why you’d suddenly decided to come to the University or what had happened to my picture.”

Vicchan had woken up and started licking Viktor’s hand but he was too shocked to pay any attention to it, his heart felt like it had sank into his stomach. “You said you liked me.”

“I do!” Yuuri’s whole face was bright red. “I really like you and that’s why I feel so awful about what happened. I wanted to set off on another expedition together but that seems impossible. I don’t know what’s going to happen anymore.”

“Nobody knows what the future holds.”

“Yeah, I guess.“ Yuuri winced again, his breath hitching as he glanced to his broken arm and sighed before taking in a shuddering breath and staring Vikor directly in the eyes. “I... I think when we’ve both healed we should end this. I can’t protect you here and I can’t give you the future you deserve. You should go back to the village.”

No. Ancestors no. This wasn’t happening. This had to be some awful dream he’d wake up from any second now. The tears came back and Yuuri’s expression turned scared. “You’re horrible.”

“I just-”

“How can you say that? How can you be so selfish?” Viktor stood up from the bed and ran his hands through his hair in agitation, his wings flapping and knocking off the lamp on the bedside table. “You know I can’t go back! I was never supposed to leave because the elders are so terrified of humans finding us, how are they going to react when they learn I not only showed myself to humans but I let them study me? The moment I left I knew that my decision would impact the rest of my life but I did it anyway because you made me believe that our future together was worth it.”

“Viktor wait-” Yuuri sat up slowly, his face wracked with pain.

“I need some time alone.” Viktor left the apartment only to realize that he was barefoot. He didn’t care, he’d gone most of his life without shoes. When had he gotten used to wearing them? What was he supposed to do now? Yuuri didn’t want him here. Yuuri had never wanted him here. The man who’d excitedly suggested he come to the University wasn’t real. Had this all been planned so the humans would have an Anzu to study?

“Viktor?” He hadn’t realized where he was walking, turning down various hallways when he came to a crossroads, but Yuuko stared at him from her doorway and Axel, Lutz, and Loop clung to her legs. “What’s wrong?

He told her everything. It felt good to have someone to talk to that understood what he was saying. He started at the beginning, Yuuri arriving at the ruins and how he’d watched them for the few days or so before getting hurt. The week they’d shared at the temple had been like a dream, no his life had felt like a dream after they’d met, and he was only now waking up to find none of it was real. Yuuko stayed quiet while he spoke, taking the occasional sip from a mug of tea while his own sat untouched, but once he recounting how Yuuri had said he should leave she hummed thoughtfully.

“I’ve known Yuuri since we were kids, he’s a good guy but his greatest enemy is himself. He’s never had any confidence in himself or his work, he always second-guesses everything he does, and he always assumes people think the worst of him. If I’m right, which I probably am because I know him well, he probably feels like he doesn’t deserve you.“

The tea was soothing on Viktor’s sore throat even though it had cooled down. “Why would he think that?”

“Because he’s Yuuri. He’s most likely beating himself up for what he said to you but he didn’t mean to hurt you, he’s scared that he won’t be able to protect you, that you’ll get hurt and it will be his fault,” Yuuko’s voice was soothing. “I’ve seen how he looks at you so I know he cares about you greatly, he cares enough that he’s willing to let you go if it means you’ll be safe.”

“I don’t need protection and I don’t want to leave. Where would I even go? It’s not like humans will leave me alone if I stay out of their way.”

“Does Yuuri know that? How can he know how you feel if you don’t tell him?”

* * *

It was late when the front door to Yuuri’s apartment opened again, he didn’t know exactly what time it was but the neighbors had quieted down at last. Viktor walked in, ducking his head to fit his wings through the door, it was easy to see his blue eyes were swollen from crying so much and the dried tear stains on his cheeks. He looked as bad as Yuuri felt, well not exactly since he didn’t have a broken arm and other injuries, but he seemed mentally exhausted and it showed. 

“Come with me.” He extended his hand and Yuuri rose from the couch and took it.

“Where are we going?” They strode down several hallways before Viktor found the stairs and began climbing up and up. The section of the University that they were in wasn’t very tall but it was taller than most of the other buildings in the city so when they emerged onto the roof they had a view of the horizon and the setting sun. The sunset seemed to have bathed the world in orange light that glittered off windows and doorways while the few clouds that filled the sky appeared to glow at the edges.

“I know it’s not the same, but it’s the closest we can get to what we saw at the temple. I want to recapture some of what we had back there, what we felt...” Viktor’s hands felt warm but they shook slightly in Yuuri’s as he seemed to brace himself for some unknown challenge. “Dance with me?”

“Wait, what?”

“Come on, it’s just the two of us up here. There’s nobody that will see us and I miss dancing, it’s been almost two months since I hurt myself and I haven’t really been able to dance yet. I want to show you what I’m capable of, why I’m thought of as the best sky dancer there is,” he winked. “Besides, Yuuko tells me you used to dance too.”

“That was years ago, I’m out of practice and I kind of have a broken arm. I’d love to dance with you but I can’t right now, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dance either.”

Viktor’s eyes were alight despite being red-rimmed and bloodshot, his silver hair unbound as it billowed in the breeze. He dropped Yuuri’s hands and took a few steps backwards on the roof, testing how the concrete surface affected his movements, before jumping up and unfurling his wings. The archaeologist had seen them fully extended before, seen him fly but now that he was silhouetted against the setting sun, his hair shining like molten silver, it was an entirely different experience.

A few wingbeats took him high enough that Yuuri was forced to crane his neck back in order to keep Viktor in sight. In one swift movement he dove down, coming so close to the roof his hair touched the concrete before he was swooping back upwards and transitioning into a spin. Coming out of the spin he seemed to catch an updraft that lifted him higher before he flipped over in some sort of looping move. Corkscrews and dives and gliding, it was beautiful and breathtaking against the background of a slowly darkening sky. When he touched back down again, panting softly, the stars shone bright above them.

“How was that?” He smiled and Yuuri couldn’t help but return it. 

“You’re amazing,” despite not having moved he still felt winded. “It’s almost like you’re too perfect to be real.”

The moon provided just enough light for Yuuri to see the blush that appeared on Viktor’s cheeks and nose as he shook his head. “I’m far from perfect. I’m naive, airheaded, impulsive, and stubborn. I’m sure you’ll find a few flaws to contribute to that list when given time, but the point is I don’t want you treating me like some fragile, faultless being when that just isn’t who I am.” Stepping forward he took hold of Yuuri’s hands in both of his own once more. “I don’t need you to protect me all the time, I don’t need to be shielded from how awful people can be. Please don’t be afraid I’ll leave you if you make a mistake or I get hurt, I’m not going anywhere and that’s because I don’t want to.”

“But, those men-” Yuuri tried to cut in but he was silenced with a look.

“Are horrible and I’m grateful you rescued me. Now that we’re aware of what humans are willing to do we can work together to prevent something like that from happening again, but if we really want to change how people view creatures like me I have to stay here. I want to work towards a future where my people don’t have to be afraid anymore, where they don’t have to hide themselves away from the world because they won’t be treated like monsters.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“First I think I have to learn more about everything, I have to be smart enough to prove that magical creatures aren’t evil or stupid or whatever else humans think of us. After that happens, well, I’ll figure that out when I need to,” Viktor frowned. “Is that a stupid idea?”

“No, I think it’s great,” Yuuri pursed his lips thoughtfully before he seemed to remember something, reaching into his pocket to pull out a slightly crushed white feather. “You wanted me to grab this before we left the lab, I cleaned it as best as I could but...”

Viktor took the feather tentatively, smoothing it out and running a finger over the pink end before placing it back in Yuuri’s hand. “I wanted you to have it. There’s a... tradition among the Anzu, we give a feather to the person we want to be our mate... I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving it there, in that room.”

“Mate? You mentioned that before but I still don’t fully understand the word.” Yuuri took Viktor’s hand again and gave it a squeeze. 

“Our partner, the person we want to spend the rest of our lives with. We offer them a feather and if they accept it...”

“I do.” Although he was somewhat in shock from the realization that Viktor really wanted to be with him Yuuri couldn’t help the smile that split his face. “Stay close to me and never leave.”

“You really mean that?” Tears had once again appeared in Viktor’s eyes but his grin was just as wide.

“I promise I won’t stop loving you.”

“You also promised you’d take me on a trip and that has yet to happen. I’m not sure I trust your promises.” Yuuri inhaled sharply and for a second Viktor was worried one of his injuries was hurting him.

“Technically I haven’t broken that yet,” Yuuri sighed. “I had wanted to wait until we’d both recovered more to tell you but I plan on leaving the University.”

“I thought you said-” Viktor started to speak but he was cut off before he could finish the sentence.

“I worked out a deal with Celestino while you were gone. I’m going to be more of a freelance archaeologist and I can accept contracts for expeditions or sell my findings to the highest bidder. I can’t continue to work for a place that values knowledge over basic decency. It won’t be easy, but Celestino has agreed to sponsor me for the first few trips.” There was a light in Yuuri’s eyes that hadn’t been there for weeks, when had it faded away? 

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re free, in a manner of speaking. A lot of researchers don’t want to actually go on expeditions because they’re afraid of how dangerous they are, but I can go for them and bring back information so they don’t have to get their hands dirty. Unfortunately it means I’ll spend a whole lot of time outside, traveling from place to place, sleeping under a starry sky...” He trailed off with a meaningful look at Viktor. “I’ll also need an assistant, someone to come with me on my expeditions and Phichit says he wants to stay here to work on his machines. If only there was someone who had an interest in exploring and wasn’t afraid of spending time in the wilderness.”

Viktor looked like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, couldn’t help the smile growing on his face. “You mean-?”

“You said you wanted to see the world, right? This seems like the best path for us to take. We don’t have to listen to anyone anymore, we can take control of our own futures and find our purpose together,” Yuuri’s grin was just as wide. “That is if you want to, I’m not going to force you to do anything.”  
“Of course I want to! Where would we go first?” 

“I think I know a place.”


	12. Epilogue

The jungle was much easier to traverse from the air, there were no bugs or strange plants and their travel time was cut in half. “Why didn’t you do this the first time?” Viktor was perched on the railing of their small airship, feet dangling into empty space as the world sped by beneath them. Looking at him Yuuri realized just how right Phichit had been all those months ago when he’d laid down there looking up. “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone, we’ve just got to be brave enough to take the risk that all our hard work will pay off.”

“We didn’t know where we were going last time or if the ship would be able to even land, it was safer to go on foot until we had a map. Besides, I hear there’s a place you can only get to by air so I figured I’d risk it.” Yuuri stood at the wheel, consulting a compass before spinning the wheel slightly so the sun wasn’t in his eyes. “Although I’m crossing my fingers that we don’t get shot out of the sky.”

“Anzu are peaceful creatures, we prefer to avoid violence if we have the option. Besides, I’m with you and I feel like the elders would probably want to talk to you before they decide to kill you.”

“I see the temple, do you want to go down?” Viktor nodded and Yuuri pulled a cord to let some of the steam out of the balloons, slowly they began to descend towards the cliff of black stone that had been the starting point for everything. As they grew nearer two figures came into view outside the temple and Viktor’s face lit up.

“Chris! Yuri!” He laughed and Yuuri couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve got an amazing story to tell you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around until the end.
> 
> Huge thanks to [dyeingdoll](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com) again for the prompt and the art! It was a pleasure to work with you.
> 
> This was an interesting challenge and I hope you all enjoyed it.


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